Overview
Carlton Cards is a greeting card company in Canada. This is a spec narrative commercial for Carlton Cards featuring two lovers going through the heartbreak of physical separation but whose presence is mutually found through distance letter exchange. The primary goal was not to make a sale action, but rather to make consumers connect with the brand on a personal level, hence the experiential marketing (emotional branding) approach.
Credits:
Writer/Director: Ebenezer Somado
Director of Photography: Sammy Vu
Talent: Malvika Garlyal, Ebenezer Somado
Production Designer: Ebenezer Somado
Set Dressers: Malvika Garlyal, Selina Kang
Storyboard Artist: Sotelo Fernando
Editor/Colourist/Sound Mix: Ebenezer Somado
Special Thanks: Selina Kang, Jeden Sutanto, Aurora Yol
Challenge
The challenge was to create a Carlton Cards commercial that connects a younger generation to the products they sell, in a 90-second timeframe.
Solution
I chose to unfold the story of two lovers. The concept aimed to emphasize that Carlton Cards helps keep people connected to their loved ones. Additionally, I decided to include GenZ actors and craft a storyline to capture their attention.
To address the timeframe challenge, considering the need of the commercial to air online, where the attention span is reduced, storyboarding and animatics where my allies in the pre-production phase.