The new “Experience Flight” spot from Infiniti is an example of great storytelling: simple, memorable and packing an emotional punch.
Here’s how:
Infiniti Presents A Clear And Simple Strategy
The Infitinti Q50 is positioned as a high-performance car, and the spot sticks to the strategy from start to finish. There’s no talk of road-handling, luxurious interiors, gas mileage or anything else to dilute this one simple message.
A Simple Executional Idea
The Infiniti Q50’s simple strategy is supported by a simple idea: in the Q50 you can experience the feeling of flight.
A Forward-Moving Narrative
Over the years the idea of auto-as-airplane has been used before. But rather than just show a car going down a runway, for example, Infiniti takes a more human, psychological and narrative approach, taking us into the mind of a “hero” who learns something along the journey from the beginning of the spot to its end.
And the story moves forward as deliberately as the Q50 itself:
On a drive in his 2016 Infiniti Q50, a man in his 40s passes by a roaring jet, a music hall and painted tunnel walls, all of which recall various aspirations he had throughout his life.
The man, who dreamed of flying when he was 8, playing music at 13 and becoming an artist in his 20s, shifted his goals as he got older.
But as he glides over a foggy bridge, appearing to soar among the clouds, he realizes that he was right the first time.
Here’s the voice-over:
VO: When you were eight, you wanted to fly
When you were thirteen, to be a rock star.
At twenty, an artist.
All these years later, you realize you had it right the first time.
Super: Experience Flight From The Driver’s Seat
VO: The 400 horsepower Q50 from Infiniti.
Experience the Q50 Infiniti.
At your Tri State Infiniti retailer.
A Beginning, Middle and End
Beginning: We meet the man, psychologically speaking, in his youth.
Middle: He moves through life and his goals change. He has, in a sense, lost his way.
End: He returns to his true youthful aspiration. There’s no place like home.
This is a classical storytelling structure that goes as far back as Aristotle. A hero, in this case our Infiniti driver, starts in one place and over the course of a journey ends up in another place, moving from ignorance to knowledge.
Design Decisions Support The Idea
Throughout the spot we see the Infiniti Q50 moving in straight lines. No hugging of curves or fancy automotive pyrotechnics. The spot is shot in a deliberate way that underscores the deliberate forward motion of the story and also mirrors a plane taking off on a runway.
A Perfect Spot
There’s even more good stuff in this spot that I could point you to, and I’ll probably get back to it in a later post.
But let me just end by saying it’s a perfect example of how an idea, properly structured, delivers the emotional power that characterizes storytelling at its best.
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