Garmin’s surreal direction with comedian Joe Wilkinson
Garmin has teamed up with surrealist comedian Joe Wilkinson to promote its new GPS in a short movie that finds the comic travelling the country to find the UK’s largest Scotch Egg.
Wilkinson collects an odd-ball mute audience during the 14-hour drive, including a semi-naked male model, knitting grandmother and sinister ice hockey player.
A dedicated microsite hosts the full four-minute movie, with a shorter cut due to be delivered to social networking platforms over the com ing days.
The campaign was delivered by Tangerine Communications , Avalon Entertainment, Boardwalk Studio, JAA and Beautiful Productions.
Speaking with The Drum, Wilkinson said: “For some reason Garmin paid for me and my idiot half brother to visit the UK’s biggest scotch egg. It took us 14 hours to drive there and they filmed the whole trip. Even though the whole thing was a debacle, they still hope that it will encourage people to get out and about more… stranger things have happened?”
Discussing the campaign and choice of Wilkinson, Jon Oliver, Garmin UK managing director, said: “We believe Joe’s witty and wry edge will help cut through what at times is seen as a pretty dry and mature market. We wanted to challenge ourselves to produce content unlike anything we’ve ever made before to stand out and show that not only do we make great products but Garmin also has a personality to appeal to new and existing audiences, from young drivers to working families and beyond.
“Through our content, which we will create in collaboration with Joe, we hope to encourage people to explore what the UK and Ireland has to offer, using our products to both guide them safely to locations and then make the most of their experiences once they’ve arrived.”
A second video between Garmin and Wilkinson is due to be filmed later in the year.
Watch the movie here or below: