Saturday, February 2, 2019

Jaguar Rendezvous (2014)



February 2, 2014: 


After 48 years, Jaguar finally made it's Super Bowl commercial debut. And what a debut! Oscar winning director Tom Hooper put together a James Bond-esque short film to show off the new Jaguar F-Type Coupe. A trio of Ben Kingsley, Mark Strong, and Tom Hiddleston took a play on their previous nefarious roles to prove that It's Good to be Bad. They even had the legendary film composer, Alexandre Desplat, create an original score for the commercial at the famed Abbey Road Studios. 


"British Villains" captures the premise that Brits have long made the best villains in landmark films, combining intelligence with charm, restlessness with calm, and always confident. In the world of pop culture, villains disrupt the status quo and challenge the establishment, while living one step ahead of, and better than, the pack. The campaign asks the question, 'Have you ever noticed how in Hollywood movies, all the villains are played by Brits?'  



This commercial marked the beginning of Jaguar's largest-ever marketing campaign, appropriately titled "British Villains". The minimum cost of a 2014 Super Bowl commercial was $4 million! But it paid off. The campaign led to a 50% increase in the brand's global social media fanbase and 45% increase in people considering to purchase a Jaguar.  

The actors were carefully selecting to appeal to certain target and age groups. Tom Hiddleston was selected based on his internet appeal and younger fanbase. (I think they'd be surprised to learn that a large percentage of Tom's fans are actually middle-aged or older). And in keeping with the British theme of the commercial - each of the men were wearing Gieves & Hawkes


If you notice in the commercial - the three actors don't actually share any scenes. Due to scheduling conflicts, they all filmed separately - with Tom Hiddleston as the first one up! 


Jaguar also released a Making Of video featuring behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Hiddleston, Mark Strong, and Ben Kingsley all describing why the British make perfect villains. 

A villain is in control. A villain is a mask of elegance and style - behind which is a worrying and brilliant intelligence. The trick is to make it all look easy. I think the best bad guys are very charming, and very witty. And their villainy, and it were, comes at the twist of a wrist or the flick of a finger. We never break a sweat. We don't get our hands dirty. And the devil plays all the best tunes - particularly in a British accent. 


Towards the end of the video, you can see a part of Tom's photoshoot with Alister Thorpe.


Later in 2014, Jaguar released a solo commercial with called the Art of Villainy. Tom Hiddleston further details what makes a great villain and quotes a little Shakespeare - because Tom Hiddleston. This ad ended up being banned in the UK for promoting irresponsible driving. Hiddles was Too Hot for TV! 



For his final full-length commercial There's A New Boss in Town, Tom teamed up with Nicholas Hoult. This time for the Jaguar XE. 





Credits: 







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