As strategists I like to believe we are the first line of attack, the person who gets the wheels rolling, the coal for the creative fire, and the oil in the frying pan. All terrible analogies clearly.
We are at the start of the process and stick close to the creative idea most of the way through it.
One part of the process we never get to go to is the shoot.
Shoots are the preserve of the creative.
It's their stalking ground.
Their domain.
Their space.
Where they feel most comfortable.
But what if you are an Art Director who doesn't feel comfortable in open spaces.
What if the very idea of being in these spaces, surrounded by people fills you with fear? How then can you still craft, hone, cajole and direct?
Jacqui Kenny is an Art Director with a difference. She has agoraphobia. The extreme or irrational fear of open or public spaces, sometimes linked to a fear of experiences where escape is deemed to be difficult (probably most people's definition of a client shoot). Agoraphobia holds many people back. It shapes their lives for the worse.
Jacqui is different.
She's created a unique photographic journey around the world from the comfort of her London flat. She's known as The Agoraphobic Traveller and her photos, taken through Google Street View have become incredibly relevant in a world where every corner of the world seems an easy, cheap flight away.
It's this unique idea, a remote photographic journey, that has launched a collaboration with Lexus to support the launch of it's new compact crossover - the new Lexus UX. The UX is car that is for Urban Explorers, people who like to discover new horizons and aren't constrained by comfort zones.
Equipped with the knowledge that she could shoot anywhere she wanted in Europe, Jacqui chose to shoot the new Lexus UX in Lanzarote - an island with an intriguing mix of black sand and white housing which could make the bright blue of the UX pop out.
But how do you create a remote controlled car shoot when the Art Director is at home in London?
The UX was equipped with a 360º video camera (one UX shooting video, the other being the actor in it) taking Jacqui on a digital journey across Europe to discover the beauty of Lanzarote, a place she has not yet visited due to her Agoraphobia.
Using a team on the ground she pushed the boundaries of technology and production, remotely directing the photoshoot at a number of locations around the island.
In doing so she's remained true to her unique art form whilst creating some great imagery of the Lexus UX driving around Lanzarote.
Could all car shoots be remotely art directed in the future? I doubt it. However, this does show what's possible when combining creativity and technology to point a brand in a different direction. As a PR output it's a good one, as for creating the sorts of car imagery which highlight the shapes, curves and lines that most brands think they need it falls a bit short.
Credit:
The Agoraphobic Traveller
Freuds PR
Lexus