The agency filmed the activity at London’s Victoria Station earlier this month. Three giant-sized books made up the set, which were painted to mimic the nostalgic Enid Blyton Famous Five tales, on which the Comic Strip Presents spoof is based.
Members of a brass band, painted to blend inanimately into the front cover of the book, sat within the structure. As unsuspecting commuters passed-by, the band began to play a rendition of Amy Winehouse’s ‘Rehab’, before returning to their original poses. The surprised reactions of passersby were recorded and used to form the viral film.
Initials’ campaign targets an audience who will have seen the original Comic Strip series to promote the reunited cast, and aims to draw in a younger audience as well as increase spontaneous awareness of the channel.
UKTV is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Comic Strip Presents.
Hik Sasaki, senior marketing manager for Gold, said: "Five Go To Rehab forms part of Gold’s multi-million pound investment in content for the channel. Initials has captured the spirit of Gold with a creative that combines the visual style of the original Blyton books, with the irreverence of Comic Strip, to target two diverse audiences."
Chris Wareham, director and head of experiential at Initials, added: "With the activity in London Victoria, we wanted to create talkability and make people laugh. The appeal of the viral is that what the viewer is watching is real, so the reactions they see are genuine."
Five Go To Rehab airs on 7 November at 9pm on Gold.
Comment below and let us know what you think.
For more in-depth and print-only features, showcases and interviews with world-leading brands, don't miss the next issue of Event magazine by