Mazda Southern Africa unveils whimsical CX-5 campaign by Boundless showcasing calm, connected driving

It has a car in it. Obviously.

But it also has an enormous blue whale. A graffiti ballerina. A flock of birds pretending to be an aeroplane. A massive bunch of escaping blue balloons. Newspapers actually dancing. A phoenix, a starring performance from a teddy bear and a man holding hands with a stick figure.

This is what happens when you let creatives out.

The new campaign is built around one simple thought: The world won’t change. The way you see it will. The all-new CX-5 is such a ridiculously comfortable, connected and effortless drive that you might stop doing that clenched-jaw traffic thing and actually notice the world around you. Turns out, there’s quite a lot going on.

In the film, there are some jaw-droppingly gorgeous car shots. It really does help when the star is actually quite a looker in Mazda’s almost magical Mica blue. You have to see it to really appreciate it.

Anyway the story goes that a dad and his daughter on a drive in their all-new CX-5, spot a huge bunch of blue balloons making a break for it. Newspapers dance in the wind. Birds briefly become a plane. Clouds reflected in a building become an enormous blue whale. A man ducks beneath the legs of a graffiti ballerina. Then our driver parks behind a car with a teddy bear in the rear window. The teddy waves. He waves back. The world didn’t change. The way he sees it did. There are no further questions at this time.

The outdoor campaign continues the wonder. A phoenix rises out of the clouds behind the CX-5. A pedestrian accidentally holds hands with a graffiti stick man. And an entire street conspires to become blue to celebrate the CX-5’s rather lovely Mica Blue. All because nothing changed. Except the way you looked at it.

Deolinda Da Costa of Mazda Southern Africa says: “Mazda has always believed driving should be about more than simply getting somewhere. The all-new CX-5 gives you such a calm, comfortable and connected driving experience that you can actually enjoy what’s happening along the way. This campaign captures that beautifully. Although I’m fairly certain the giant whale is not a standard feature.”

According to Roanna Williams, co-CCO at Boundless, this is precisely the kind of work the agency wants to put into the world: “At Boundless, we’re trying to make the world’s most loved ideas. Which sounds quite ambitious when you say it out loud. But we think loved ideas start by finding something human and true, then making it impossible not to notice. The CX-5 gave us a lovely truth: when driving asks less of you, the world gives you more back. From there we just needed a whale, a phoenix, several thousand birds and a teddy bear with impeccable comic timing.”

Bringing this slightly more wonderful version of the world to life was director Alexa Wilson, with the film produced by Darling Films. The trick was to make every moment feel extraordinary without ever tipping over into fantasy. The world, after all, wasn’t allowed to change.

Director, Alexa Wilson, says: “The challenge was about seeing the ordinary with new eyes and finding the magic in it without making it feel manufactured. Every moment needed to make you look twice and think, ‘Wait, did I just see that?’ My favourite moment is when the teddy bear waves and our driver chooses to believe what he saw, so he waves back. For me, that captures the whole idea and the magic of the film; that willingness to go there, and to be the kind of person who sees the world a little differently.”

The campaign launches across film, OOH, digital and social. Boundless would like to thank Mazda for continuing to let a bunch of hooligans make the world’s most loved ideas on their behalf.

And the teddy bear. Strong performance from the teddy bear.

The world won’t change. The way you see it will.

The all-new Mazda CX-5.

Credits

Client

Brand: Mazda Southern Africa
Managing director: Bonite van der Merwe
Head of marketing and communications: Deolinda Da Costa
Marketing and internal communications coordinator: Kaelin Dreyer

Creative

Creative agency: Boundless
Chief creative officer: Roanna Williams
Chief creative officer: Fran Luckin
Executive creative director: Felix Kessel
Art directors: Roanna Williams/Prabashan Pathar
Copywriters: Felix Kessel/Fran Luckin
Social art director: Lauren Dixon-Paver
Agency producer: Lara Bayley
Business unit director: Zimkhita Sokanyile
Chief executive officer: Paul Jackson
Chief strategy officer: Stuart Walsh

Production

Film production company: Darling Films
Director: Alexa Wilson
Executive producers: Melina McDonald/Lorraine Smit
Producer: Saskia Finlayson
Cinematographer/DOP: Tom Marais
1st AD: Chris van Latum
Production manager: Kyra Critchfield
Production co-ordinator: Luvuyo Mpofu
Art director: Gavin Scates
Props master: Caroline Walker
Wardrobe stylist: Carla Uys
Make-up: Amka Tonia

Post production

Offline editor: Jo Gibbons
Post production facility (online/VFX/AI): Sinister studio
Grader/colourist: Kyle Stroebel
Online artist: Christian van der Walt

Audio

Recording studio: Audio Militia
Sound engineer : Garrick Jones

About Boundless

Boundless is an agency composed entirely of experts, making The World’s Most-Loved Ideas™. We bring about change through Heartfelt Creativity, making work that isn’t just seen, but deeply felt. Creating lasting impacts on people, communities, and markets.

For further information or access to interviews and higher-resolution images, please contact Paul Jackson, CEO – Boundless, labolg.sseldnuob@luap.

For more information, follow the Boundless social media channels or visit:
Website: https://www.boundless.global/
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