Manchester has launched a Christmas TV advertising campaign created by Amaze. With the slogan ‘See what Manchester’s made of’, the commercial is directed by Manchester based Oscar and BAFTA nominated animator, Barry Purves, and will be shown from 12 November, to tie in with the Christmas light switch-on.
As part of a wider marketing campaign, the animated film is designed to highlight the impressive range of shops, leisure and entertainment venues in the city centre and ensure Manchester remains the number one choice for Christmas for anyone living up to an hour away. The advertisement also has a strong public transport message encouraging people to choose the train, tram or bus as the easy option for a day or night out in the city at Christmas.
It features over 200 objects borrowed and bought from Manchester stores including a designer handbag, jelly beans, toy train, cocktails, pair of shoes and a hot water bottle capturing the diversity of the Christmas experience in Manchester city centre. The products come to life, and dance about on the screen, to a catchy guitar-based tune illustrating themes including shopping, food, culture and transport.
The advertisment was commissioned by Cityco, the organisation responsible for managing the city centre, in partnership with Manchester City Council, Marketing Manchester and the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive.
Kate Harrison, Cityco’s chief executive said: “This recession-busting campaign is exactly what’s needed to keep us ahead of the game in these challenging times. The marketing initiative allows us to tackle the competition head on, ensuring city centre businesses get the most out of the crucial Christmas period. The music is infectious and the amount of detail is remarkable so you never seem to tire of watching it. I spot something new every time I see it. Made in Manchester by a Manchester crew, with edgy urban music and an original modern feel, we are very proud of the end result and believe we have created something very special for our city.”
Councillor Keith Whitmore, Chairman of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority said: “There are so many good reasons to choose public transport to get to and from Manchester city centre and this campaign helps to remind people of that in a fun and creative way. Public transport is a safe and easy option for people who want to enjoy the seasonal festivities. This is an ambitious campaign, but by pooling our resources, we can achieve so much more and maximise the benefits for everyone. This is an excellent example of the public and private sector working together for the good of the region.”
Barry Purves painstakingly worked on the animation for two weeks in a studio located in an industrial unit on a business park in Altrincham, where Bob the Builder was filmed for 10 years. The backbreaking work involved making 750 individual pictures to create the fast-moving 30 second film.
World-renowned animator and the commercial’s director, Barry Purves has made over 50 commercials in his 35 year career, but this is the first he has made for Manchester since co-directing the award-winning Manchester Evening News TV advertisement 20 years ago. Barry has not only worked on Bob the Builder but other TV animation classics including as Postman Pat, Wind in the Willows and Rupert the Bear, as well as his own films and features such as King Kong.
Speaking at the launch of the commercial, Barry Purves said: ”I was thrilled to be asked to do this. I loved the concept straight away. It’s a nice funky ad and it was great to do something hands on and play around with over 200 props with no special effects and very limited technology. We’ve been allowed to go back to basics in animation terms, which is rare these days and this has allowed us to come up with something rather special. Manchester was always a centre of animation and there are so many talented animators here that I hope this high profile commercial sparks a revival.”
The concept was created by Manchester based creative agency, Dinosaur, who designed the poster campaign, and was transformed into a TV commercial by Amaze advertising agency, produced by Loose Moose Productions and shot at the Hot Animation studios in Altrincham, Cheshire. Let by HIT Entertainment, this is a centre of excellence for stop frame animation.
For more information on Manchester city centre Christmas campaign visit www.visitmanchester.com