Conceptual design studio Buster developed, designed and produced an animated teaser campaign promoting the upcoming new Fox series TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES (premiering Jan. 14, 2008).
Buster's work is comprised of a four-phased Lower Thirds campaign and a Sports Interrupter campaign.
For the first phase, Buster animated the famed glowing "Red Eyes" of the Terminator robot. The red eyes slowly appeared and then disappeared without explanation -- a very radical tease approach that immediately sparked Internet buzz. The second, third and fourth phases of the Lower Thirds campaign later evolved, with promos that revealed more detailed red eyes, hints of the iconic Terminator metallic skull, and then a prompt for viewers to visit the show's promotional website,
www.takebackthefuture.com .
For the Sports Interrupter campaign, Fox's NFL football broadcasts appear to be interrupted, as, suddenly, the home television viewer sees the Terminator's "point of view" -- scanning the crowd during a game. It appears that the Terminator is looking through the stands, aggressively seeking either Sarah Connor or John Connor. After the spots end, there is a return to the normal sports program. These "Interrupter" ads continue to air during Fox's NFL broadcasts.
Michael Vamosy, SVP, Design, Fox, said, "We asked Buster to team up with us on this project and they understood right away that we wanted to approach this from a completely different viewpoint. Everything about our TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES campaign needed to immediately capture viewer attention. Buster tapped into the subtlety we were trying to convey. To collaborate with a group of talented designers who understand where we are coming from adds to the success of a unique project like this."
Buster's Exec Creative Director Jonas Morganstein elaborates on the football tie-in campaign, "Fox challenged us to contribute renegade marketing approaches. In a brainstorm session, Kurt Spenser [creative director and head of production] and our designers came up with the idea that the Terminator 'subvert' Fox football broadcasts to search for Sara and John Connor in the bleachers. Our goal was to start up the buzz and attract the leading edge TERMINATOR fans, while also piquing the interest of a broader audience for this exciting new property. We had a blast working with Fox to develop the look and feel of this new campaign, which truly exemplifies 'guerrilla marketing' at its best."
Launched in 2004 by co-presidents Brad Roth and Mark Feldstein as a division of their noted advertising agency Stun Creative, LA-based Buster (
www.busterdesign.tv ) is a conceptual design studio specializing in original animated content for the advertising and broadcast industries. Buster's core services include design, animation and live action direction for TV commercials, TV show opens and network packages. Among Buster's clients are HBO, Ford, Food Network, Bravo, Lincoln, HGTV, MTV, UPS, ESPN, Hasbro, FX and AMC.
