Suzuki Claims to Have The Best Kept Secret on the Road

The first campaign for Suzuki from TMW Unlimited sees the car brand claim that its Swift model is ‘the best secret on the road’ and that those in the know hope to keep it that way.

Following the brand’s ‘Good Different’ platform, the campaign aims to help the Suzuki Swift stand out from the crowd against ‘increasingly formulaic ads’ by presenting the different strategies that owners will go to in order to keep it from becoming too popular with other drivers.

Just as there’s magic in being in the know about a fantastic local restaurant, Swift drivers are happy to enjoy their little secret; a small car, packed with style, tech and spec as standard.

Activity will run across TV, digital, OOH, social and radio.

The TVC features a variety of proud owners hiding their beloved cars from anyone who may see and want one for themselves. We see a woman covering her Swift in autumn leaves, another turning off a streetlight to keep it in the dark, and a man parking his behind a perfectly trimmed hedge in the shape of a Swift.

The press and OOH executions present Swift owners as taking matters into their own hands, with the car appearing to have been torn out of press ads or graffitied over on billboards. On radio and social, the owners do their best to sabotage the ads, showing only pictures on radio, or reversing the car out of frame.

Alex Key, general manager (marketing), Suzuki, said: “We knew from the start that we didn’t want another car ad that was just a drive through a city or sweeping down a mountain. We knew we had to do something different to stand out. We brought in TMW to help us create a challenger campaign that is Good Different, just like our cars. Putting our current and future owners at the heart of our ad, we decided to build some intrigue and be the first car brand to hide the cars rather than flaunt them.”

 In addition to handling above-the-line creative, TMW is also responsible for CRM. Its in-house production team, Move Studio, produced the campaign in collaboration with Stink Films and Traktor.

This marks TMW’s first campaign following its appointment after a competitive pitch earlier this year. As Suzuki’s flagship model, the Swift plays a key role in driving the perception of the overall brand.

Graeme Noble, chief creative officer, TMW, added: “Just as nobody wants their favourite pub to be taken over by hordes of TikTokers, owners of the Swift are happy for their cars to remain the best kept secret on the road. There’s power in mystery, and that’s a lever that’s rarely been pulled in this market. We tried to have a bit of a fun with this, and find different ways to execute the concept across every channel. Happily, we think the ads match the car – good, and different.”

Credits

Title/Project:
“The Best Kept Secret on the Road”
Agency: TMW
General manager – marketing: Alex Key
Senior brand communications manager: Jodie Brooke
Brand and digital communications executive: Carys Stovin:
Chief creative officer: Graeme Noble
Creative director: Mark Urey
Associate creative director team: Neil Matthews and Stuart Woodall
Planner/CSU directors: Phoebe Rodgers, Dan Bowers
Account team: Karen Morris, Struan Bourquin, Sophie Maher, Lucy Bence, Emma Jacob, Sophie Finch, Sam Pickett
Project manager: Becky Yates
Design: Nick Raven, Joe Cottam, Ivan Langham, Victoria Henderson, Lucy Yong
Studio: Liz Hickson, Amy Henderson
Head of production: Millie Graham-Campbell Senior agency producer: Stelios Theocharous Production company: Stink Films
Director: Traktor
First assistant director: Ed Bellamy
Executive producer / managing director: Andrew Levene
Producer: Ben Roberts
Production manager: Kelly Brown
DOP: Franz Lustig
Production designer: Nicholas Foley-Oates Costume: Michelle May
Locations: Mark O’Hanlon
Post-production (edit) Final Cut
Editor: Ryan Beck
Assistant editor: Hannah Burger
Senior edit producer: Nikki Porter
Post-production (VFX)
Framestore
VFX creative director: Kamen Markov
VFX shoot supervisor: Murray Butler
VFX supervisor: Luigi Russo
VFX producer: Ben Stell
VFX production assistant: Jamie Scott
Compositing:Benjamin Lilley, Guy Lubin, Aitor Echeveste, Simon Stoney, Maxwell Lane
VFX editor: Humberto Reynaga
Digital matte painters: Chelsea Aston and Ivo Horvat
FX TD: Jason Daoud
VFX asset lead: Billy Butler
CG lighting: Antoine Barbannaud
Layout artist: Oliver Cordwell
Post-production (colour): Company 3
Colourists: Jean-Clément Soret and Matthieu Toullet
Colour assistants: Santino Napolitano, Jack Kennedy, Karl Pasamonte
Senior producer - Colour: Edwin Elkington
Executive producer – Colour: Ellora Soret
Post-production (audio): Factory
Sound design and mix: Josh Campbell
Audio producer: Ciara Wakley
Photographer: Alex Howe
Photographer’s assistants: Drew Deas and Thomas Sedgewick Price
Retoucher: Russell Day (Daybreak Creative)
BTS & Cutdowns: Move Studio (TMW Unlimited)
BTS videographer and editor: Thomas Rees Kaye Editor - Cutdowns: Thomas Rees Kaye and Julia Olsson.