LONDON, UK — Xero, the global small business platform, demonstrates how its products can help small businesses master the overwhelming task of doing their business finances, in a major UK advertising campaign, which stars comedian Rhys Darby, best known for his work in Flight of the Conchords.
The campaign has been created by ENGINE Creative. It is the agency’s first campaign since being appointed to handle the UK advertising account earlier this year, following a competitive pitch, to create a distinct brand identity.
The strategy is built on the insight that accounting and bookkeeping isn’t something to be ‘boshed’, ‘done’, or ‘smashed’. It’s at the heart of any business, and crucially important to have control over if you want a healthy business.
At its heart of the creative is a TV ad that sees Rhys Darby in a series of tongue-in-cheek analogies about how difficult running a business can feel. In the film, Darby takes part in what seems like a normal marathon. But as he talks about how it can feel for small business owners to keep up, viewers realise it is anything but. Rhys suddenly finds himself running through a desert and then sucked into quicksand.
But with Xero in hand (literally, as a smartphone app) the feeling of being overwhelmed is replaced with that of ease and control. Rhys is suddenly in a fun run, on roller-skates, followed by taking off in a jetpack. He reminds viewers to search ‘Xero with an X’ followed by the new brand positioning of ‘healthy business’.
The over-the-top analogies are continued in out-of-home and digital ads, colliding the worlds of health and business in a distinctive way.
John Coldicutt, Marketing Director, UK & EMEA at Xero, said: “While many small businesses have been rightly focused on survival, they are starting to look further down the line. Now is the time to help them to recover and rebuild. Using Xero to take control, and master the inner workings of their business will be crucial to this, which is why ENGINE’s Healthy Business proposition is such a perfect fit for our brand.”
Billy Faithfull, Chief Creative Officer at ENGINE Creative, said: Our ambition was to make sure that anyone watching would be utterly clear about what Xero is and what it can do for their business. Colliding the world of health and business gave us a really powerful platform and having Rhys Darby deliver it will ensure it cuts through the noise, with a self-deprecating tone, on roller-skates, with a jetpack, in a desert.”
The campaign breaks on 15 May and runs for an initial five weeks, across television, radio, online video and out-of-home.
CREDITS
Media Agency: December19
Xero
Marketing Director: John Coldicutt
Head of Brand: Rob Foulkes
Brand Marketing Manager: Sam Daniels
Marketing Campaign Manager: Emma Roddy
Marketing Campaign Manager: Flaka Jasari
CREDITS
Chief Creative Officer: Billy Faithfull
Creative Director: Steve Hawthorne
Creative: Jack Tibbs, Michael Arthey
Design: Paul Kennelly, James Blakeborough, Elif Gurbuz
Chief Design Officer: Matt Fenn
Client MD Louise: Hayward
Business Director: Eve Bui
Account Manager: Dom Kocur
Production Director: Bradley Woodus
Assistant Producer: Henry Davies
Integrated Project Directors: Austin Vernon, Liz Boothby
Chief Strategy Officer: Gen Kobayashi
Strategy Director: Nicola Dyball
Senior Strategist: Alpesh Patel
Director/Production: Co Benji Weinstein / Smuggler
Producer: Barty Dearden
Editor: Aaron Dark @ Saints Editorial
Post Production: Untold Studios
Sound Design: Tony Rapaccioli @ Wave
VFX Executive Creative Director: Neil Davies
Executive Post Producer: Ian Berry
Post Producer: Ellie Joseph
Post Production Assistant: Jordan Malonga
VFX Supervisor: Alex Gabucci
VFX Lead: Sebastian Caldwell
VFX Artists: Cindy Libbrecht, Clara Malleviale, David Ince, Florent Sanglard, Greta Kossowska, Lee Matthews, Luke Massingberd & Marcel Ruegenberg
Grade: George Kyriacou @ Black Kite Studios
DoP: John Toon
Talent Consultant: Melsie Bourne @ The Bourne Consultancy
