Baz Luhrmann is an icon of cinema, one of the most recognisable filmmakers and creative thinkers working today. His body of work is brilliantly varied, fascinating and original. The thing is no one knows the real man, the Baz beyond the red carpet. Our campaign sought to demonstrate that anyone can be creative and Baz’s own life story exemplifies this idea perfectly. Our target audience of expressionists within the creative community are more interested in the truth behind some of their favourite creatives. So we simply offered Baz the platform to present himself and his story - one That we as a brand have shared for many years.We offered an insight into his creative philosophy which was always going to make for compelling viewing.

STRATEGY 

Bombay Sapphire’s brand purpose is to inspire and enable creative self-expression through our ‘Stir Creativity’ platform. Our audience holds creativity as core to their happiness and fulfilment and are always relentlessly pursuing new sources of inspiration. This campaign is built off of the idea that creativity is all around us and once you learn to see it, the world becomes a gallery. Bombay Sapphire has a rich history in collaborating with the most creative minds in the world. From Tom Dixon designing our glassware, Thomas Heatherwick designing our distillery and the most imaginative bartenders pushing the boundaries of mixology with our gin. For this campaign, we needed a creative partner that embodies the power of finding creative inspiration in the everyday and Baz Luhrmann has always taken inspiration from the ordinary to make his extraordinary work, making him the perfect partner to inspire the world to do the same.

IDEA 

To launch the idea we partnered with film director and visionary Baz Luhrmann. We asked him to tell his own inspirational story of growing up in a remote backwater town in rural New South Wales. How even here in such a barren empty place he was able to find creative magic. We combined his personal archive material with purpose shot and interview footage to show how he established and grew his philosophy and landed the authenticity of his position as the figurehead for the moment. Ultimately, we inspired and invited people to look at their own worlds and discover the limitless beauty that exists in the everyday.

 EXECUTION

Baz Luhrmann is a creative icon, one of few active filmmakers you could call an auteur. Yet his beginnings are as humble as they come. His creative journey is both touching and inspirational and his philosophy one that he and Bombay Sapphire have shared for many years. A belief that everyone is creative and a mission to help people appreciate their own creative potential. So, we created an intimate documentary style film that told his story, not the Hollywood Baz the world usually sees, but the real man from a nowhere town in rural New South Wales, who’s creativity has taken him on to be one of the most celebrated film makers of our time.

RESULTS 

The campaign sparked a global conversation around finding creativity in the everyday and also resulted in a global audience taking part in creativity.  The campaign generated over 1.2 billion in earned PR reach, with over 1.1k pieces of editorial coverage. As a result, the brand achieved #1 share of voice for spirits in Europe and North America.  Across social, Baz inspired our audience globally, with ‘Saw This Made This’ content reaching over 72 million people, with an increase of 839% of accounts engaged with the Bombay channel and 6,000 submissions of creativity inspired from the everyday. From a brand perspective, the campaign's impact was felt across key markets, with the US seeing a 10% increase in 'brand for me' metrics and Spain experiencing an 8% increase. In the UK, the campaign drove a 7% increase in desire, while Germany and France saw increases of 6% and 3%.