Droga5 Australia lands global Tiger Beer account – uncages new campaign showcasing Asian talent
Singapore’s national icon Tiger Beer is proud of its Asian roots and showcases this to the world in its latest campaign created by its new advertising agency Droga5 Australia.
‘Tiger Uncage’ – created in secret over the last five months – will be launched in 25 countries with film, print and integrated digital engagement programs, starting with Singapore this week. This will be accompanied by the unveiling of an enhanced vibrant brand identity across all consumer touch points including fresh logos, visuals and packaging.
The new campaign features short films on the real stories of young Asian personalities. ‘Tiger Uncage’ showcases how they have forged their own paths, breaking free from conformity.
The Asian beer brand is attempting toportray itself as a symbol of courage – encouraging people to ‘ignite the Tiger inside’ and take the leap to follow their passions and dreams.
Says David ‘Nobby’ Nobay (left), creative chairman of Droga5 Australia: “For us ‘Uncage’ is more than just another ad campaign: it’s the platform from which we can start having a genuine conversation with our Asian drinkers, and ultimately, the world. It’s big, ambitious and will be realized across all media, not just traditional advertising spaces. We’re already planning a live festival, joint ventures and new media creations that will take our position as the brand for restless spirits into a real world space.
“All the creative and strategic work will continue to be run and overseen by our Sydney office. The sheer volume of new work we’ve created in the last 5 months has created a fantastic bond between the senior team at D5 Sydney and our counterparts at APB in Singapore, and neither of us plans on changing the chemistry!
“That said, we’re excited about how fast this relationship is developing and deepening, so we are embedding a Droga5 regional director, Simon Lockyer out of our new partner IMG (recently acquired by WME) Singapore HQ. Simon was previously new business director at TribalDDB in Singapore and has great experience of the Asia region. He’ll report directly to Sudeep Gohill, our D5 Sydney partner/CEO.”
Says Mie-Leng Wong, Tiger global brand director at Heineken Asia Pacific: “Tiger is a brand that was created and cultivated in Asia. With ‘Tiger Uncage’ we aim to make everyone take notice of the incredible talent, creativity and passion that is now coming out of Asia.”
Says New York based David Droga, creative chairman of Droga5: “Having lived in Singapore for many years, I know first hand just how great a beer Tiger really is. It deserves to be elevated to a truly iconic brand, so this is an amazing opportunity.”
Tiger 2014 campaign heroes:
Joey Pang
Born in Yunnan, China. Based in Hong Kong.
Joey Pang moved to Hong Kong when she was three, and grew up wanting to be an artist. Moved by the way the human body and art could interact, she began as a makeup artist – but the transient nature of her work became frustrating. The permanency of tattoos caught her attention and she pursued her dream of becoming an artist working on living canvas and changing how body art is seen.
Why she is an uncaged hero:
Joey Pang hasn’t just broken free from the cage that has kept women away from the art of tattooing, she has completely redefined the way the human body can be used as canvas to express a personality. Taking inspiration from New Zealand’s Maoris, she shifted the understanding of tattoos in Hong Kong from an appendage worn by gangsters to an expression of self, coveted by celebrities and sought after around the globe. In uncaging her expression she has pioneered a new art form, born in Asia, celebrating traditions but free from its constraints.
Anthony Chen
Born in Singapore.
Singapore born and bred and from a classic middle class family, Anthony was expected to follow the predictable path to career and financial success. Unexpectedly however, he discovered a passion for filmmaking. In 2013 he won the prestigious Cannes Camera D’Or for his debut film ‘Ilo Ilo’. Today Anthony continues to break new ground, inspiring others to pursue their creative dreams and find the courage to make them reality.
Why he is an uncaged hero:
A new generation of filmmaker, Anthony has broken through the conventions of Asian cinema, dominated by action and gangster films, to create work that conveys a new sense of honesty that he hopes will inspire others to uncage their stories and their creativity. In doing so he has redefined what success looks like for a Singaporean. Traditionally a country known for its financial prowess, Anthony has demonstrated that it can equally hold its own as a creative powerhouse on the world stage.
Charlie Ruedpokanon
Born in New York.
A two-minute action film trailer was all it took to change the course of Charlie’s life, attracted to the silver screen not by the thought of acting but the lure of action. Learning at the knee of Shaolin Masters he found his way into one of Asia’s top stunt troupes and pushing the boundaries of what is humanly possible every day.
Why he is an uncaged hero:
Raised in America Charlie followed the advice of his hard- working Thai parents and played it safe going to college and getting a degree in business management. But he knew there was more and the inspiration of Asia’s amazing action films could not be denied, leading him to break free and chase his dream. His singular focus and self-belief helped him draw the attention of the Jaika Stunt Team and his cage was finally smashed. Just as his college degree has acted as a safety net, in his stunt work and acting he has an absolute faith in those he works with that allows him to put his life in the hands of others as he performs his death-defying stunts. Each time he leaps from a building he is showing how shrugging off your fears free you.
In-Depth with Uncage campaign film producer Michael Hilliard
The Uncage campaign was directed by acclaimed director Christopher Riggert, one of Australia’s most versatile directors, and produced by multi-award-winning producer Michael Hilliard (left) via Australasian production company Finch.
Hilliard said the attraction of working with Tiger was the real people who inspired the campaign: “Uncage is an exciting concept because the work is borne out of real people who embody the lifestyle. So each piece of film is unique to them, and really only comes to life as you understand them. Lots of brands talk about doing something different or innovative, it was great to be part of a process where we actually got to do something differently.
“As such, each spot is built around the work, passion, or creative vision of a real person. But not as documentary films per se. We wanted to layer these real stories with production desig
n, stunts and special effects, to take us inside the mind of these individuals. To examine their thought process, and what makes them unique as individuals. So we were writing the spots on the fly, as we learned more about the characters, our stories took unexpected and interesting turns.”
Working with Joey Pang, the team found inspiration in the way she approached her calligraphy and applied it to her art.
“Her work with the tattoo gun is actually part of a much bigger conversation about Chinese culture, her mother’s interest in calligraphy and the permanence of the brush stroke in art. On one of the days, we watched Joey and her mother practice calligraphy and painting together. The relationship to her work was clear and apparent, but going a layer deeper with her to understand the permanence of tattoo and why she chose to do that with her life gave us a huge insight into our approach to her film.”
Her story could not contrast more to the action-packed shoot of Charlie Ruedpokanon’s ad. “Early on in the process, Charlie dispelled the myth that stuntmen are fearless. He said two really interesting things: one) that being a good stuntman is about understanding that you are afraid, but being confident you have evaluated the risk correctly, and doing the stunt anyway, and two) things are always different when you get to location than they were when you rehearsed them. So it’s managing the balance of fear and risk. It’s an amazing life lesson.
“If you listen to the stories our characters tell, they are all unlikely success stories. Every one of them. Most success stories are unlikely ones.”
Brand – Tiger Beer
Product Cat – Drinks, Alcoholic
Client – Heineken Asia Pacific
Creative Chairman – David Nobay
Creative Director – Andrew Fergusson
Creative Director – Cameron Blackley
Copywriter – Emily Cussins
Art Director – Leslie Sharpe
Agency Producer – Holly Alexander
Business Director – Richard Sweetman
Planner – Michaela Futcher
Production Company – Finch
Director – Christopher Riggert
Producer – Michael Hilliard
Director of Photography (Joey Pang, Charlie R) – Jeremy Rouse
Director of Photography (Anthony Chen) – Nicolas Karakatsanis
Editor – Peter Sciberras, Method Studios
Post Production – Heckler
VFX – Heckler
Music – Sonar Music
26 Comments
Really? A brand campaign based on a bad pun.
Films look good but are like most ‘content’ driven things these days, lacking an idea outside of someone’s personal story.
It’s not creating characters is it, it’s borrowing other peoples cool.
They’ve done the hard bit for us, we just point the camera at them and think we’re genius…
Fabulous : great strategy, fine writing, excellent production. You can see why these guys were way to good for Woolworths.
A great and enduring platform as it dictates every engagement should break free of the norm.
I agree with Uncage?
Far too many ads out there borrowing other people’s story.
One word. Lazy.
Another example of mediocre boring indulgent filmmaking, no matter how hard you try to hype it.
@Uncage? Who ever said they were creating characters, or even a need to? Why does there need to be a story outside someone’s personal story? Isn’t that the whole point of this campaign? From what I see the whole point is using these real stories as examples and inspiration for other real people to aspire to. The beauty is in bringing these people’s stories to life from within the traditionally “caged” asian culture and prompting others to do the same.
Im sure if they had created characters you would be on here complaining that we’re not seeing “real” people and instead a made up, fictional story that no one can relate to
Always something to whinge about right! Geez….
i really don’t understand, is that why there was a long press release? which I couldn’t read as i stopped paying attention….
@UnCage? Couldn’t have said it better myself.
There’s no glory in doing a story on Sir Edmond Hillary. He’s already climbed Mount Everest. Droga just pointed a camera at him. The glory remains with Hillary, not Droga.
Another example of mediocre boring indulgent filmmaking, no matter how hard you try to hype it.
So refreshing to see an alcohol brand choose to promote itself by using young aspirational members of the target market and make ‘cool’ little ‘mini movies’ about their efforts to break out of the norm and take their own path. I bet you this will position Tiger as a beer for individuals who want to go their own way and not be part of the pack. I also like the funky film technique that really makes these ads feel not like ads. Cool.
Just as ‘uncage?’ says another tried and true/safe formula…. nothing break out about it at all …borrow someone else’s success and whack your product on the end…nicely done but still nothing really uncaged about the advertising…
@Uncage? Who ever said they were creating characters, or even that they need to? Why does there need to be a story outside someone’s personal story? Isn’t that the whole point of this campaign? From what I see the whole point is to use these real stories as examples and inspiration for other real people to aspire to. The beauty is in bringing these people’s stories to life from within the traditionally “caged” asian culture and prompting others to do the same.
Im sure if they had created fictional characters you would be on here complaining the we’re not seeing “real” people and instead a made up, fictional story that no one can relate to.
Always something to whinge about hey! Geez….
Be a tiger!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZE-jdcFd2g
‘Cool little mini movies’….are you kidding. The budget could have been shit (as always) but the production value was pretty high..look who directed it! Looks good, but about 3 years too late. The beer is really shit also, makes you fart!
Uncage…/ Your Wild Rabbit?
http://www.hennessy.com/us/wild-rabbit/
This platform was launched 7 years ago for Tiger Beer, this idea feels like a weaker version.
http://www.tigertranslate.com/home
Jesus. I’ve just read The Nobby Lament in Adnews.
Fire in the hole.
@Messi and yet hundreds of thousands of people drink Tiger without becoming flatulent. I’m sure you mean “makes me fart” not makes you fart. Since you seem to be the one with the problem perhaps you should propel yourself to your nearest medical centre and get the problem looked at, before things turn to shit.
Borrowed interest.
Nice production values.
Tattoos are way cool and way original
I am assuming you are the same person, or one of you simply copied the other word for word.
My point wasn’t why are there not characters, my point was there is no idea in these films. No idea, other than to tell someone else’s story and try and gain a rub off for the brand.
I am reacting, like others, to this being called ‘content’ and placed on a pedestal.
It’s simply a mini documentary. I nicely found subject matter. Good research. No idea.
My point about characters is that they are much harder to create, they take imagination, depth, thinking…
The lack of them in advertising ‘content’ is a sign to me that most people are either lazy or don’t have the ability to create them.
That’s all.
TLDR
Now now children, play nicely. Tristan! Stop pulling Sebastian’s hair!
Steve Dodd’s ‘Tiger’ reference is spot on. To acknowledge the tiger in you, or to be described as a tiger – with all its relevant audio and visual cues – might be more obvious, but it would be far stronger. ‘Uncage’ seems more like the brief than the solution. A series of great posters/press etc., featuring the same talent but being more overt in the tiger link [not unlike the Mandarin ‘I’m a fan’ celebrity campaign] would’ve worked a lot faster and better for me. Anyway, congrats on winning the business and good luck.
@Grouchy: Show me the stats that prove that ‘hundreds of thousands of people do not fart after drinking Tiger Beer’..Big call!
I like it, and actually cool – and all in time for a friday cold one