Kawasaki Motors Europe Z650
'Energize'
ROLE
Strategic direction
Creative direction
Campaign production
Design
Art direction
CHAMPION
Kawasaki Motors Europe
COLLATERAL
Creative concept
Creative direction
Action photography
Action video concept
Brochure and print
Advertising
POS
Online banners
Launch event material
CHALLENGE:
Immensely rideable yet unquestionably raw, Kawasaki’s Z650 is the perfect bike for young riders who want to stand out. But how could we explain this to potential buyers, who flick through their socials faster than a streetfighter flicks through corners?
The Z650 is light and intuitive, featuring advanced technology that makes it easy to handle. At the same time, it’s fierce, futuristic and fast. Combining responsive handling with power and edge, it embodies the famously aggressive Z series spirit.
Despite its charms, when Kawasaki asked us to create a campaign for the Z650 that would reach young riders, we knew it would be a challenge: this was an audience bombarded by brand marketing. To work across social, ours would need to be a stand-out campaign – one that would grab our audience’s attention in a fraction of a second.
The campaign name – Energize – turned out to be the perfect starting point for the high energy promotional video we created with the support of Munich’s Pool Productions.
By scanning elements of the Z650, turning them into CGI, we created 3D renderings of individual bike parts. Then we used these renderings to create an animation that was robotic, kaleidoscopic and utterly hypnotic: the kind of video to light up the dancefloor at a pulsing European club. The visual approach was perfect for the bike, whose sci-fi styling – from rear light to front cowling – is dramatic, angular and boldly futuristic.
This otherworldly animation was intercut with other images: shots of the Z650 prowling the dark city streets, close ups of key features such as the cutting-edge control panel. Graphics from the animation also became the backdrop in our promotional photography. The resulting campaign was daring, distinctive, and different to anything else our audience would see on their socials. A campaign to stop riders in their tracks.
