M.J. Bale Sends UK Weatherman On Heat-seeking Mission For New Campaign
M.J. Bale has partnered with TBWA Sydney and Eleven for a new campaign, putting the brand’s Cool Wool suit – which it claims to be the most breathable yet – to the test by giving it to a man who is in no way designed to handle high temperatures.
Armed with his forecasting equipment, an M.J. Bale suit and a skeleton crew, UK weatherman Alex Beresford set out on a heat-seeking mission from the set of Good Morning Britain to chase the sun around the globe and put the Cool Wool suit through its paces.
Every day, Beresford forecasted where tomorrow’s hottest temperature was going to land on the globe, then raced to make it there for another live weather forecast.
Back home, the results of these broadcasts were fed into a custom-built M.J. Bale change room (see below) designed to change people’s opinion of wool as a summer fabric, allowing the public to experience the effects of M.J. Bale’s Cool Wool suits in the exact same conditions that Beresford encountered.
Each forecast was delivered through Facebook Live, allowing the public to interact with Beresford in real time.
Unfortunately for him, this meant that he spent 11 days being tormented by his audience, from the blistering sands of Dubai to the salt flats outside Jodhpur all the way to the middle of the Sahara Desert.
It was only when Beresford finally arrived in the record-temperature-holding Death Valley that his audience finally relented and rewarded him with an icy cold drink instead of the molten-hot vindaloos and arduous camel rides he’d had to endure.
Despite phones melting, numerous vehicles breaking down and tempers flaring hotter than the sun he was chasing, the suit held its own in the hellish conditions.
Craig Brooks, deputy executive creative director of TBWA Sydney (and member of the skeleton crew), said: “When we were coming up with the idea, I assumed that I wouldn’t actually be heading out on the shoot, so we really pushed the torture elements to the limit.
“Big mistake, because I then had to experience it all for myself. Luckily the suit and Alex held up to everything we threw at them, so it was worth it, even though it shaved five years off my life.”
TBWA Sydney chief creative officer Andy DiLallo added: “It’s not often you get the opportunity to make a great campaign that tortures an Englishman and your deputy ECD at the same time, so for me it was a no-brainer.”
Matt Jensen, founder and CEO of M.J. Bale, said: “Looking good is a struggle when you live in one of the hottest countries in the world, with many men sacrificing style to stay comfortable.
“With this campaign, we wanted to show gents no matter how hot the forecast, they can still stay looking smart and feeling cool, so we invited them to feel the difference for themselves in-store. The coolest suit in the hottest change room – it was a perfect fit”.
CREDITS
TBWA Sydney
Chief creative officer: Andy DiLallo
Deputy executive creative director: Craig Brooks
Creative director: Ian Williamson
Senior art director: Mark Tallis
Senior writer: Cameron Dowsett
Producer: Annabel Jewers
Junior producer: Savannah Anseline
Senior account director: Laura Morano
Account director: Dave Matthews
Planning director: Joel Pearson
Design director: Chris Mawson
Design and animation: Razif Djamaluddin
Design and animation: Thanh Lu
Animation: Brent Loy
Sound designer: Beau Silvester
Production partners
Director and photographer: Patrick Fileti
Music: Song Zu
Composer: Ben Lam, Songzu
Sound producer: Jessica Bonney, Songzu
Activation director: Richard Bernardo, Avant Garde Events
Production fixer, Dubai: Abdel Salam
Production fixer, India: Daulat Singh Ranawat
Production fixer, Morocco: Reda Fakhar
Eleven
General manager: Fi Milliken
Account manager: Jade Barringer
Account executive: Caitlin Jokovic
M.J. Bale
Founder and CEO: Matt Jensen
General manager: Shannon Luxford
Marketing and PR coordinator: Nick Sanders
Head of visual communication: Cassandra Thomas
Brand editor-in-chief: Jonathan Lobban
Brand experience manager: Jaime Fernandes
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