PARIS, FRANCE — French cruise company PONANT launches its campaign “The North Pole, The South Pole, And You” to introduce its new hybrid-electric polar exploration ship powered by liquefied natural gas. Travelling aboard Le Commandant Charcot is an invitation to awaken to a world of sensations, knowledge, and respect for the nature that surrounds us. Beyond exploration.
The hypnotic blue palette, the blizzard, the huge thrill as we stand upon the geographic North Pole. A heart that beats in the face of these raw lands, reached only by rare explorers. Heading North, at the boundaries of extreme lands, or heading South, in the heart of the legendary “White Continent”, a cruise on Le Commandant Charcot is an adventure, an expedition, a polar odyssey, and a self-discovery only a few people will have the chance to experience in their lifetime. Approaching the Poles is very much like approaching space. It helps us realize how small we are as humans. Le Commandant Charcot is an experience whose magic transforms the traveller.
“From where does this strange, powerful, and enduring attraction to the polar regions come, such that after returning one forgets the mental and physical fatigue resulting from the expedition and dreams only of returning? … I now consider that these regions leave a kind of reverent mark on a person. Any man who reaches this place feels his spirit soar.”
– Jean-Baptiste Charcot, “The French at the South Pole.”
The campaign, written by FRED & FARID Los Angeles, directed by ACCIDENT, and produced by NOSIDE Paris conveys the sheer magnificence of the landscapes. It personifies the awakening to knowledge experienced aboard Le Commandant Charcot and pays tribute to science and purposeful voyages which in gaining better understanding inspire us to preserve our environment.
The Voice Over, narrated by actor and comedian Nathan Wilcocks, coming from really far away, from space maybe or from a research station in Antarctica… reminding us of our place in the universe, with a certain emotion tinted by the importance of the message delivered.
The music composed by French artist and musician DeLaurentis adds another layer of elevation. From macro to micro, from the universe to each one of us, mobilising our senses and our conscience.
Hervé Gastinel, CEO of PONANT: “This first high polar exploration vessel represents the quintessence of our dreams of the absolute. To offer essential escapes. To find meaning again. To better understand and protect our planet. The launch campaign needed to convey the pioneering nature of our approach, the spirit and audacity of PONANT.”
FRED & FARID Los Angeles: “Experiencing the magnetic Poles is a great reminder of our place in the galaxy. We always forget that our blue spaceship is orbiting around the Sun at a speed of 67 000 miles per hour, traveling in space about 1,6 million miles a day. Le Commandant Charcot is a spaceship on Earth”
The campaign will launch globally from November 15, first in EMEA (France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, UK) and will continue to roll out in 2022, in AMERICAS and APAC. It is supported by a 100% digital communication plan promoting the immersive experience of video format via social networks and programmatic.
The campaign is part of a 360° plan, integrating a dedicated website created by Infostrates and new polar experiences via Instagram and Facebook accounts, drawing on the expertise of We Like Travel.
CREDITS:
PONANT – Le Commandant Charcot
THE NORTH POLE, THE SOUTH POLE, AND YOU.
Client: PONANT
Communications Director: Alexandra Olivari
External & Corporate Communications Manager: Chloé L’Hernault-Baulay
Agency: FRED & FARID Los Angeles
Chief Creative Officers: Fred & Farid
Creative Director: Nicolas Berthier
Art Director: Bridget Callahan
Business Director: Jules Chaffiotte
Executive Producer: Amanda Van Caneghem
Director: ACCIDENT
Production: NOSIDE
Producer: Rémi Sello & Morgan Prêleur
Visual Effects by Eclipse Studio
VFX Supervisors: Raphaël Gaudin & Laurent Hamery
2D Artist: Renaud Quilichini
Visual Effects by ACCIDENT
VFX Supervisor: Morgan Prêleur
2D Artists: Emilie Nicolas, Stéphan Dumoulin, Thomas Jouenne
3D Lead Artist: Thomas Jordanidis
Houdini Artists: Adam Bachiri, Alexandre Guillaminer
Matte Painter: Jeremy Flandrin
Flame artist: Alexis Baillia
Editor: François-René Londard
Colorist: Guillaume Schmitter
Director of Photography: Arnaud Gomez-Thebaud
1st AC: Thibaud Dufour
Aerials photography : Frédéric Michel
Narrator: Nathan Willcocks
Original Music by Cécile DeLaurentis « Reflections of Antarctica » © Peermusic France
Sound Design & Mix by Defacto Sound
Recording Studio: Montmartre Recordings
Sound engineer: Andreas Lecter
