Kawasaki Motors Europe Z900
'Dominate'
Role:
Creative direction
Campaign production
Art Direction
Design
Champion:
Kawasaki Motors Europe
Collateral:
Creative concept (online + offline)
Action photography
Action video
Brochure
Adverts
POS
Online banners Launch event material
CHALLENGE:
Launched in 2019, the technologically superior Z900 motorcycle showcases extreme handling and precision control. But, at heart, it’s pure Z brand: raw, thrilling. Powerful. Our challenge was to showcase its aggressive spirit without promoting aggressive riding on the streets this bike was destined to dominate.
One part of the Z900’s appeal is its bleeding-edge technology: new features such as traction control and power modes make for some serious handling. At the same time, this naked bike is built for naked power – it’s a super smart streetfighter, perfect for experienced riders who are ready to push their limits. No surprise that the client wanted us to build our campaign around one word: dominate.
But, in promoting the bike, we were bound by ACEM guidelines: an agreement between motorcycle brands not to encourage irresponsible riding in public locations. So, while we couldn’t demonstrate the Z900’s full firepower in those urban locations popular with potential buyers, our ads – both stills and video – still needed to encapsulate the bike’s power and edge.
The answer: visual creativity. In our city location, where no aggressive riding was allowed, we found other ways to make our imagery darkly cool: for example, we shot at night, using heroic poses beneath flashing city lights and imposing urban skylines. And we added ‘glitch’ effects – using Kawasaki’s brand of green – that not only highlighted the technical element of the Z900 but also gave a feeling of roughness and edge.
Then we shot the bike on twisting mountain roads, slowly revealing its potential, before ending at the racetrack – a controlled environment where the rules no longer applied, where our rider could burn around corners, knee to the ground, releasing all the ferocity of this precise but powerful machine. The result? A campaign that was responsible, creative – and true to the brand.
