CASE STUDY:
SENSITIVE HANDLING OF OUR GHostbusters PARTNERSHIP OPENS BIG DOORS… AND ACCESS TO BIGGER I.P.
THE SCENARIO
Movie studios and their brand partnership teams are always seeking ways to cut through marketing noise and reach consumers in uncontested spaces.
THE CHALLENGE
Can the Waze navigation app be a platform for A-list theatrical talent and I.P.?
THE WORK
We convinced both Sony and Dan Aykroyd to lend his voice to Waze, letting users all over the world get directions from the legendary comic, in character as Ghostbuster Ray Stantz. Then we had to write a script for Dan that passed his exacting standards. Remember Dan isn’t just the star of this franchise. He was the co-screenwriter of the first two films. He set the very highest bar for this creative project. We wrote a navigation script that was pitch-perfect for him, full of classic Stantz flourishes. His voice experience was a joyful, infectious blast of ghostbusting enthusiasm. Ray is thrilled to drive in your neighborhood, because according to his PKE Meter, “both the psychometric and ectoplasmic energy valences in this cul-de-sac are off the charts.”
We designed a suite of visual assets to let users find and select the experience.
AUDIO SAMPLE
Click below to hear some sample navigation prompts from “Ray”.
MOOD: “WICKED”
Waze lets users select a custom icon to represent themselves in the app. We call them Moods. We made this custom “Wicked” mood for Ghostbusters, inspired by the murderously fun Mini-Pufts who steal every scene in the latest movie.
SOCIAL VIDEO: “BANGER”
We were lucky enough to get some time with the real Ecto-1, usually kept under lock and key at the Sony Studios Lot. We made an original song from scratch, sampling percussion from the car, sound effects from the film, and spoken word lyrics from Dan Aykroyd, ripped right from the Waze voice experience.
Vehicle: THE ECTO-1
When selecting Ray Stantz’s voice, Waze users can travel through the map as a 3D vehicle. Of course, it had to be the iconic Ecto-1, modelled on the chassis of a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor.
CREDITS
Waze Creative: Tom Cowell / Jamie Fine
Waze Production: Erica Quinn
Visual Design: Burn & Broad
3D Modelling: Irresistible Studios
Song: Granted
Waze Leadership: Jake Shaw, Tatyana Schneider, Tim Queenan, Ally Taylor
THE RESULT
Our Ghostbusters execution opened the door to a flood of custom experiences, both from Sony and other major studios like Universal Pictures. These included truly massive I.P. opportunities like DESPICABLE ME 4, PADDINGTON IN PERU, KUNG FU PANDA 4 and VENOM: THE LAST DANCE.
