London-based creative agency Duke.tv has been commissioned by Five to create a unique on-air sponsorship campaign for the FIAT 500. The campaign is for a landmark sponsorship deal which will see FIAT sponsor the channel for an evening to coincide with the launch of the FIAT 500. Duke.tv directed and produced a comprehensive campaign including 10” and 20” countdown teaser spots featuring the FIAT 500 speedometer which will appear on Five every evening until that time.

London-based creative agency Duke.tv has been commissioned by Five to create a unique on-air sponsorship campaign for the FIAT 500. The campaign is for a landmark sponsorship deal which will see FIAT sponsor the channel for an evening to coincide with the launch of the FIAT 500. The deal is the first of its kind in UK terrestrial broadcasting history. The campaign will air from 8pm on Monday 21 January - exactly 500 hours into the New Year.

Duke.tv directed and produced a comprehensive campaign including 10” and 20” countdown teaser spots featuring the FIAT 500 speedometer which will appear on Five every evening until that time. For the launch evening Duke.tv created an integrated 25” Five ident and FIAT sponsorship sequence to be shown before each show transmitted after 8pm, and a series of 0.5” ad break flashes which will appear between every commercial in every break.

“On the strength of the Five brand, we were offering the opportunity for partner brands to break with traditional forms of TV sponsorship and try something innovative. FIAT is a great fit with the channel and a collaborative approach ensured a smooth and creative partnership,” said Dominic Sykes, on-air brand director at Five. “The creative concepts that Duke.tv presented hit the mark and it has been good working with a professional team that ‘get it’ and understand the creative challenges with integrating two brands effectively.”

Duke.tv handled everything from concept and storyboarding to shooting and post-production. “We’re really pleased to have been asked to work with Five on this campaign and particularly proud to be part of UK broadcasting history,” said Duke.tv’s founder and creative director, Ivor Kayne.

The overall creative concept behind the ident and sponsorship sequence is that the FIAT 500 and Five ‘brighten up your life’. The piece opens on a lifeless empty car park, when the Fiat 500 drives into the scene and halogen lights spontaneously burst into broad strokes of colour. The car multiplies as it playfully zips around the car park.

“The sequence presents the FIAT 500 as a slick sexy product while still retaining a sense of humour and whimsy which, considering the freezing temperatures on the shoot, was a miracle,” said Tudor Payne, director, Duke.tv. “One of the biggest challenges was presenting two strong brands side-by-side which the ident successful manages to do without one brand overshadowing the other.” 

Duke.tv shot a single car on 35mm film with a motion control rig. The negatives were scanned at a very high resolution for compositing. Shake and After Effects were used to replicate the car and add different versions into the scene. Editing was completed on Avid Media Composer and colour grading on the Quantel EQ.

Founded in spring 2006, Duke.tv is a London-based creative agency that offers clients cutting edge design and promotional solutions through motion-graphic, video, print and online media. Clients include: Audi TV // Channel 4 // CBS outdoor // Discovery Networks Europe // Walt Disney Television // Five // Emap Music Channels // ITV // Nike // Peugeot // Sony Ericsson // Sony BMG // T-Mobile // Vauxhall Motors & XFM.