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Vancouver International Film Festival

Through TBWA\'s qualitative research process, it became clear that many people viewed foreign film festivals as somewhat exclusionary. They felt that without proper knowledge of the films, deciding which to see was often a hit-and-miss adventure. While some people enjoyed the unknown, it seemed to be a major barrier for regular filmgoers.

TBWA\ had a history with VIFF but this year it decided to be even more strategic in its approach. The agency team looked into VIFF's selection process to hone the strategy and discovered that VIFF goes through two rounds of screenings, after which, only about one film in 10 makes it into the festival. Films are accepted based on their aesthetic value, originality, and relevance to the film-going audience. This was an angle that had not been explored by past festival creative.

That sparked the creative team to think about all the films that never made it. It also led to an insight and a new spin on the non-Hollywood film festival strategy from years past. That is, the VIFF is a very selective non-Hollywood film festival.

TBWA\ decided to create one spot to emulate each of the three main judgment areas. "Hailstorm" demonstrated what an independent disaster film with low production values could look like. "Geisha Cop" was a fine example of what the Japanese might do with the buddy action film genre. And "The Pants I Have Owned," though cleverly capturing the ambience of an Eastern European documentary, clearly lacked relevance for most viewers.

The ads played at early screenings received an enthusiastic reception from first-time and veteran festival-goers alike. Testament to the campaign's success is that the work is on the Shots 85 reel.

CINEMA

Geisha	Hail
Pants