BACKGROUND

TAG Heuer Carrera is the ultimate racing watch. It was designed by Jack Heuer himself in 1963 and inspired by the Carrera Panamericana, a very dangerous road race in Mexico. Some of the greatest drivers in history have worn it. In 2023, the Carrera celebrates its 60th birthday. The collection has so much history it would have been easy to cling to the past. But the Carrera has a different mindset. A pioneering one. It’s always been about breaking new ground and pushing the limits. So, in a watchmaking world that’s all about heritage and savoir faire, DDB Paris chose to celebrate Carrera’s future with an entertaining short film full of action, humor, and of course, racing.

THE STRATEGY & INSIGHT 

To celebrate the 60 years of the Carrera, we wanted to pay tribute to its racing DNA but also help it find a new place in popular culture. The chase idea was the perfect way to do it. It’s an entertaining story with the Carrera at its heart, a deep connection to the racing heritage, told in a fun way. 

Ryan Gosling has been TAG Heuer Carrera’s ambassador since 2021. He is the perfect incarnation of the Carrera mindset, always pushing the boundaries of what you would expect from him - from romantic comedy to action movies to drama and musicals. In the film, Ryan Gosling plays a character who never gives up, embodying the spirit of endurance summed up by the campaign baseline: The race never stops.

THE CREATIVE IDEA 

What if Ryan Gosling was wearing a TAG Heuer Carrera for a role and didn’t want to give it back after the shoot ? That’s the starting point of a crazy story full of meta moments and cinematic references, where Ryan Gosling is being chased by a very zealous prop master through the studios. If you look closely, the film has all the ingredients of a tribute to the Carrera : the Porsche Carrera, the racing, the beautiful product shots, the historical easter eggs, the endurance spirit. Only, this is all part of an entertaining story.

THE CRAFT & EXECUTION

With its meta concept, it’s like there are many small films within the film. Action movie, comedy, western, gangster movie, thriller, behind the scenes… all these moments had to be precisely choreographed so everything would come together as a whole during the edit. The dialogues, the action, the stunts, everything was directed and crafted with the same standards as a blockbuster.

THE RESULTS 

The campaign reached a wide audience as soon as it was launched:

10 days after the launch, there were 5,5 million views on Youtube and 20,1 million views on Instagram.