welcome to optimism

In the name of Saint David

Men running against horses, tea on a steam train, a minute Italian village and a big slab of cheese.

Stand by for the latest Visit Wales ad. Which appropriately aired on St. David's day, no less.

This, the second of three spots in the campaign, celebrates more examples of the lesser-exposed sides to Wales.

Enjoy!

 

'clever stuff from clever people': our new campaign for Visit Wales

Our latest work for Visit Wales has attracted some supportive comment from the pundits in Campaign magazine's Private View section today. Here's what they say:

Here's the TV spot they're talking about:

Rhod Gilbert explains funny business about our campaign for Wales

The BBC show Funny Business, screened last week, examines how comedians can make large sums of money from corporate gigs and endorsements. Basically, the show aimed to make comics feel guilty for selling out to The Man. Welsh comedian Rhod Gilbert, who featured in our campaign for Visit Wales, was interviewed for the programme. In the clip below he speaks about the experience. Rhod explains that, though he'd be uncomfortable with many ad campaigns, he was happy in this instance to help us bring tourists to his homeland.

Wieden & Kennedy presents ‘This Is Wales’

This week our lovely new spot for Visit Wales airs on telly. We're chuffed to show off the country in all its glory, especially as this time we've taken cues from the Welsh themselves. We sought out three couples to talk about their emotional attachment to a certain part of their country and brought their favourite places to life through a fabulously filmic ad. 

We go beyond the epic landscapes and stunning vistas you'd expect to see in marketing for Wales by unveiling an equally beautiful but less expected side to the country. We see Dafydd and Rhiannon at the haunted South Stack Lighthouse lauding the wild nature of this Northern spot in Anglesey; Rachel and Craig talk animatedly about the international art exhibited on their doorstep at the National Museumin Cardiff; Tony and Eileen share their experience of outdoor hot spas overlooking stunning west coast beaches at St. Brides Spa Hotel, Saundersfoot in Pembrokeshire.

This ad (along with two more which will be released in March) aims to entice more mature visitors. With more free time to travel and with more money at their disposal, they are an important group for Wales to attract. 

This is also the 'Welshest' ad we've made for Wales, featuring Welsh couples, shot by a Welsh director, and all to the soundtrack of an up and coming Welsh band (Trwbador - Red Handkerchiefs). Check in again in March for more ads starring Welsh couples sharing the best of their country.                             

W+K's week in wonderful Wales

W+K's Team Wales is this morning back in the office after our latest adventure to shoot in, err, Wales. We sped around 6 locations, over 5 days, experiencing all 4 seasons. We felt the true warmth of the Welsh welcome from Holyhead to Abergwesyn, Brecon to Cardiff, Laugharne to Saundersfoot and Narberth. Thanks to everyone we met, who featured and who helped us on the way.

There were many highlights to the trip; here are just three...
The sunset at South Stack:


The view from the top of Pen-Y-Fan in the Brecon Beacons (from l-r our lovely client Sam, Ali, Michelle, Alex and Benny):


And the brilliant sunshine by St Brides spa:


It was a poignant time to be in Wales as the search continued for Machynlleth's April Jones. Now we're all safely back in our homes, we hope to hear news that the same will soon be true of little April as well.

Watch the blog for updates on the new spots due out in early 2013.

CIMTIG get it as Visit Wales win GOLD

This big week in the world of awards continued for WK London last night. Fresh from the BTAAs, it was off to the Park Lane Intercontinental for the CIMTIG Travel Marketing Awards. We awaited the awarding of the gong with green-cubed flashing lights in our cocktails and listening to the 'dulcet' Irish tones of Patrick Kielty. There was a hefty number of prizes to get through. 25 to be precise. But after all of those, 3 courses and few bottles of beverage, it was time to announce the big one:
The Integrated Campaign of the Year up to £1m.
With 4 other submissions in our category the competition was stiff. But we came out on top. The GOLD award (one of only 3 on the night) was soon safely in the hands of Visit Wales.

Whilst our agency team was a few men down we had the pleasure of Piers Bramhall's company on the night. It felt right to have the man who had fronted it all to be there working the room. A huge diolch goes out to everyone in the agency who worked on it. As well as our friends at KitCattNohrDigitas and Arena Media. And of course our lovely Welsh clients who put their trust in us to make this multi-layered, brilliantly ambitious idea come to life.

Here we are, just before it all kicked off on the dance floor.

One (cardboard) man stuck on a sunlounger. On the telly.

We've blogged about the shoot.

And now we want to share the work we've proudly produced.

6 beautifully shot 10” TVCs – teasers to this September’s big trip when Piers and Emma finally set off to Wales.

We didn’t want to reveal too much about the itinerary.

Or give Piers a sneak peak at the wonderful Wales he’ll experience.

So rather than take him with us on the shoot in August, we toured the country with a cardboard cut-out of Mr Bramhall instead. As you do.

You may have spotted him in our reception (thanks to whoever put a hat on him by the way).

He was recognised by an old school friend ‘on location’ at the Green Man festival.

And now he’s hitting TV screens across the UK.

Cardboard Piers is currently musing art, mountaineering, eating cheese and chutney, bobbing in an infinity pool, rambling and crowd-surfing.

The six 10” ads are peppering commercial breaks from Jeremy Kyle through to Corrie for the next 10 days.

And they are on video on demand, and YouTube, and Facebook, and twitter. And now on our blog, too.

Big shout to BigBalls Films who created the content and Zipline Creative who facillitated it all.

Watch and enjoy. And follow Piers and Emma's trip on Facebook etc.