Surfer (advertisement) explained

Surfer
Client:Diageo
Product:Guinness draught stout
Agency:Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, London
Director:Jonathan Glazer
Production Company:Academy Commercials, London
Producer:Nick Morris
Yvonne Chalkley (agency producer)
Starring:[Chadwick "Dino" Lanakila Ching]][1] (surfer)
Louis Mellis (voiceover)
Music:"Phat Planet" by Leftfield
Sound Design:Johnnie Burn
Released:17 March 1999 (television)
Runtime:60 seconds
Country: United Kingdom
Language:English
Budget:£6 million (campaign)
Preceded By:Swimblack
Followed By:Bet on Black

Surfer is an integrated advertising campaign launched in 1999 by Diageo to promote Guinness-brand draught stout in the United Kingdom. The cornerstone of the campaign is a television commercial, originally 60 seconds long, which centred on a Polynesian surfer successfully taking on a gigantic wave. Shot in Hawaii over a nine-day period and directed by Jonathan Glazer, the piece went on to win more awards than any other commercial in 1999 (Clio Awards,[2] D&AD Awards, Cannes Lions), and in 2000 was voted the "Best ad of all time" in a poll conducted by Channel 4 and The Sunday Times.[3]

The plot centers on a group of surfers, waiting for the perfect wave. As it arrives, the crashing 'white horses' turn into actual horses. One by one, a surfer 'crashes out', leaving only one, who manages to conquer the wave. The others join him as they celebrate on the shore.

The advert was inspired by Walter Crane's 1893 painting "Neptune's Horses". The text also draws inspiration from Herman Melville's novel Moby Dick, including the line "Ahab says, 'I don't care who you are, here's to your dream.'" (which does not actually appear in the novel).

The music track in the advert was created by British band Leftfield and eventually this formed the basis of their track "Phat Planet" which appears on their 1999 album Rhythm and Stealth. Its use in the advertisement led to the song appearing on several compilation albums of music from advertisements including Classic Ads (2002), I Love TV Ads (2004) and Guinness 250: Music from the TV Ads (2009).

An extended 90-second version is available on the 2005 DVD The Work of Director Jonathan Glazer.[4]

In November 2009, The Independent named the advertisement, alongside several other advertisements in the campaign, amongst the "greatest advertising of all time".[5]

Accolades

CreatorCountryAccoladeYearRankSource
Channel 4 and The Sunday TimesUnited KingdomThe 100 Greatest TV Ads20001[6]
ITVUnited KingdomITV's Best Ever Ads20056[7]
The MirrorUnited KingdomThe Top Ten Greatest Ever Guinness Adverts2009[8]
Business PunditUnited StatesThe 10 Most Creative Commercials Ever20116[9]
EmpireUnited Kingdom15 Amazing Adverts from 15 Amazing Directors2011[10]
AdweekUnited States10 Most-Viral Guinness Commercials Ever20125[11]
Mashable UKUnited Kingdom20 Most-Shared Guinness Ads on YouTube20126[12]
The SavoryUnited StatesTop 10 Guinness Commercials20141[13]
CinematicaUnited KingdomTop 10 Best Adverts Ever Made20143[14]

The asterisk (*) denotes an unordered list.

Additional credits

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Interview with film director Jonathan Glazer. TheGuardian.com. 4 October 2004.
  2. Web site: AMV wins agency of the year and golds for Guinness at Clios . . 2 June 2000 . 12 July 2011 . Yates . Karen .
  3. News: Cozens . Claire . 2001-04-06 . Guinness unveils new advert . 2024-07-18 . . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  4. Web site: Guinness Surfer Ad (video). https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/Y9znA_dwjHw . 2021-12-21 . live. YouTube. 2 February 2014.
  5. Web site: Your mission: Bring the world to life with a pint of Guinness. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/advertising/your-mission-bring-the-world-to-life-with-a-pint-of-guinness-1817207.html . 2022-05-25 . subscription . live. Independent.co.uk. 9 November 2009.
  6. Web site: The 100 Greatest TV Adverts - Features - Results - Channel 4 . www.channel4.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090530073501/http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-100-greatest-tv-adverts/articles/results . 2009-05-30.
  7. Web site: Classic Ads : Spots and Spot Innovation : TV Toolbox : Thinkbox . 2009-04-17 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090305130459/http://thinkbox.tv/server/show/nav.943 . 2009-03-05 .
  8. Web site: Cinematica's top 10 commercials of all time - Cinematica Media - Professional Video Production . www.cinematicamedia.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150116082601/http://www.cinematicamedia.com/top-10-commercials.html . 2015-01-16.
  9. Web site: The Work Behind the 10 Most Creative Commercials Ever. 21 March 2011 .
  10. http://www.empireonline.com/features/amazing-adverts-from-amazing-directors/p9
  11. Web site: 10 Most-Viral Guinness Ads Ever.
  12. Web site: 20 Most-Shared Guinness Ads on YouTube. Mashable. 16 March 2012.
  13. Web site: What is Savory: All About the Herb and 4 Tasty Recipes.
  14. Web site: Cinematica's top 10 commercials of all time - Cinematica Media - Professional Video Production . www.cinematicamedia.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150116082601/http://www.cinematicamedia.com/top-10-commercials.html . 2015-01-16.
  15. Web site: Music: The Composer's Art.
  16. Web site: Music for Film & TV Part 1: Peter Raeburn – Songwriting Magazine. 24 September 2012.