THE DRUM AWARDS & TELLY AWARDS WINNER

Drum Awards – Animation
Telly Awards – B2B & Digital Environments
Palmetto Award
NAGC Awards

SC COMMERCE X BMW:
LAUNCH TO LEGACY

Everyone knows what a state commerce ad looks like. Just hit print.

Aware of this status quo trap, I created a montage that placed all of South Carolina's competition back-to-back with names deleted. The issue was undeniable. The trap was snapped, and we were free to tell South Carolina's story in a way only we can.

The overwhelming issue with South Carolina is its backasswards perception. Marketing can say all it wants, but it wouldn't make believers out of business leaders. Our story needed to be a disruptor. One directly addressed perception with fulfilled promises, dreams, and even kingmakers. Fact is, South Carolina has these case studies—just no one knows them. Secondly, in this New Economy, South Carolina offers what few states can. After all, why not live in the place you love to vacation? These insights become my creative strategy. An invitation for corporations to escape the concrete cages of the Old Economy and finally "Work Where You Love."

Executionally, I wanted to show, not say, South Carolina was innovative. To dramatically demonstrate our embrace of technology, beautiful landscapes and maverick mentality. I wanted it to be visually arresting with a punchy narrative that starred corporate champions and trailblazers. Recruiting top CEOs from BMW, Sonoco and Nephron gave us immediate validation, but also small production windows and on-site availabilities.

These constraints became a launchpad for creativity, allowing us to develop inventive visual landscapes that surround our narrators, revealing South Carolina's promise both verbally and visually. Combining brand-new innovations in optical camera techniques and CGI, we composited a high-tech, emotive, and meaningful argument, positioning South Carolina as the true headquarters of American innovation.

Unlike anything in the category, the Launch to Legacy campaign and all-new brand identity system differentiated South Carolina from the clones of commerce, and helped it secure over $20B in investments and 15,000 new jobs. Creatively, we were awarded top honors for video innovation by The Drum Awards and Telly Awards.

RESULTS