The Brief
Plascon wanted to recreate their iconic WoodCare advertisement from the 80s, featuring two wooden puppets.
The original spot was shot in stop motion, featuring two wooden dolls. The protagonist applies the Plascon Woodcare product and remains protected from the sun, while her companion becomes discoloured and cracked.
The brief was to recreate the essence of the original WoodCare ad from the 80s while infusing it with a fresh and modern feel. The aim was to engage and captivate audiences, preserving the nostalgia and charm of the original while relaunching Plascon’s WoodCare product and reflecting the diversity of modern South Africa.
The Concept
Colin O’Mara Davis, Creative Director at Wondermerk Studios, who himself was deeply inspired by the original WoodCare ad, spearheaded the project. The team wanted to build on the established world of the original ad and explore new possibilities. They envisioned a beach inhabited by a vibrant community of wooden puppets and create a film that felt hand-crafted. The team also focused on representation, ensuring that audiences could recognize themselves in the characters and that the settings felt familiar.
The Process
Wondermerk got to work redesigning the existing characters and creating a dynamic beach environment.
The rebooted commercial features an updated cast of 40 diverse South African characters and is set on the iconic Durban beachfront, with the renowned Ku D’ Ta Pier as a backdrop.
The cast features adults, kids, and gogos of all shapes and sizes, and our leading ladies, Mindi and Ash, are reimagined as beautiful African women.
The beach needs to remind the audience of the Durban beachfront on a beautiful summer’s day. Props include the Ku D’ Ta Pier, rickshaws, and the facades of buildings bordering the beachfront.
The commercial ends with our hero, Mindi, and her WoodCare-protected friends dancing together to a rhythmic Amapiano track, a house music style that originated in South Africa.
Credits
Production
Client
Kansai Plascon
Head of Marketing
Suvasin Moodley
Brand Manager
Kabelo Seasebo
Marketing Coordinator
Yonela Molokomme
Agency
Filmer
Chief Creative
Peri vP
Managing Director
Janez Vermeiren
Production Co-ordinator
Anco Henning
Wondermerk
Creative Director
Colin O’Mara Davis
Production and Art Direction
Jess Lupton
Freelance Art Director
Armand Filmalter
Copy Writer
Lionel Naidoo
Wondermation
Production Co-Ordinator
Khanyisile Mavuma
Animation Lead
Joshua Aikman
Animators
Rosannah Galbraith
Gareth Chadwick
Stefan van Niekerk
Texture Artists
Rosannah Galbraith
Stefan van Niekerk
Tyron da Gama
Simon Emmerich
Kirsten Harri
Interns
Lora Borisova
Gerhardus Laubscher
Mix and Master
Tigerfight
Choreographer
Taryn du Plessis
Voice over artist
Nhlakanipho Manqele at Contractors Artists