20 October 2006

Tiger Pioneers A New Genre Of Short Film

Oscar-winning expert collaborated on project that marks 75 years of excellence

Marlena informs that she'll be entrusted with Tiger's secret from a chateu in Slapy

225 extras were engaged in this New York dance club scene set in an old brewery

Party revelers protects the Tiger guradians from the IBC

Tiger's first award at age 7 in 1939

World-acclaimed Tiger once again breaks new ground in brand communication as it collaborates with gurus in the film-making and brand communication industry to release what the brand embraces as the beer industry's first Hollywood-styled short film, "Tiger: Unravel The Secret". This will be the first of Tiger's year-long celebratory activities planned for its 75^th anniversary in Singapore.

The first-of-its-kind short film dramatises the lager's award-winning legacy in international markets over the last 75 years, making it the perfect launch pad to kick-start the brand's 75^th anniversary celebrations. Created for the home and regional markets of Tiger, the short film adds depth to the brew's premium status in Asia, especially in home-ground Singapore and in the stronghold markets of Vietnam and Cambodia, amongst others. The milestone effort epitomises Tiger's tradition of excellence and world-acclaimed status, adopting a totally unique approach to deliver distinctive facets of Tiger that have not been emphasised in previous brand communication campaigns.

"Tiger: Unravel The Secret" is the result of a collaboration amongst three world-class creative experts namely award-winning Director Derin Seale and Director of Photography John Seale (who won an Oscar for cinematography for "The English Patient") as well as Gold Cannes Lion winner and Regional Executive Creative Director of Leo Burnett Asia Pacific, Linda Locke.

Shot on location in Prague and accompanied by an original score, "Tiger: Unravel The Secret" is a five-part short film (each 60 to 90 seconds long) that weaves a story around Tiger's history and extraordinary number of awards that it has won since its humble beginnings in 1932. The story revolves around a mysterious group of 10 men who goes to great lengths to protect the secret of Tiger's success from an envious cartel which pursues it relentlessly across different eras and countries. While the 10 men may be a dramatisation, the awards and Tiger's provenance showcased in the five-part short film along with its worldwide recognition, popularity and success are facts.

Leveraging the brand's origins and award-winning legacy as the backdrop to the film,
"Tiger: Unravel The Secret" is set to catapult Tiger to the pinnacle of branding as it entertains viewers with an air of mystery, suspense and adventure while the plot to discover the highly-coveted "secret" to Tiger's success unfolds.

To Dr Les Buckley, Director of Group Commercial, Asia Pacific Breweries Limited, "Tiger: Unravel The Secret" veers away from the traditional approach to beer brand communication. It offers a creative answer to consumers' growing interest in Tiger's history and heritage while the short film format is effective in showcasing four of Tiger's most significant milestones. The series begins with a "Prelude" - a trailer that captures the characters and the flavours of the story - that whets the audience's appetite for the subsequent four parts that follow.

"Our worldwide research indicated that consumers are increasingly finding the Tiger story a compelling one. It is unheard of for an Asian beer to have won so many awards in Europe which is at the heart of beer-making. As such, we are inspired to tell Tiger's story in the most interesting and engaging way. Since a good story deserves a great telling, we believe the short film will be a differentiating format welcomed by consumers. In an increasingly competitive global market, the short film will be more than just a piece of distinctive Tiger communication. It is also set to continue the brand's tradition of successful blockbuster campaigns," said Dr Buckley.

Ms Linda Locke, Regional Executive Creative Director of Leo Burnett Asia Pacific, added: "When we embarked on the project, we were acutely aware that we were tasked to tell the story of a Singapore icon. The history of Tiger and its remarkable collection of awards over the years offered us the opportunity to make a non-traditional brand communication series. "Tiger: Unravel The Secret" conveys the emotion, drama, action and narrative of a full-scale movie in five unfolding parts. These films take us on a journey from the 1930's to 2004, using Asia, London, Paris and New York as our backdrops. To be able to build characters, action, fantasy and drama around actual 'brand truths' like Tiger's International Medal Award collection, is a rare opportunity. We think we have delivered a truly cinematic experience - unlike most movies however, we delivered it on time and within budget!"

More significantly, "Tiger: Unravel The Secret" is leading a new and niche genre of brand-led initiatives that is set to generate a buzz in the brand communication industry. Spanning decades, cities and cinematic styles, the short film takes audiences on an epic adventure as Director Derin Seale created intrigue and brought the film to a level of what he calls, "classic believability" via tonally-excellent production design and state-of-the-art camera techniques.

Director Derin Seale said: "The desire for this project is to steer away from traditional brand communication and to give it more of the classic look and feel of a film. That is why we involved John (Seale) in the project. As it is more about storytelling, character development and performance, the project was perfect for John's cinematic style - not too slick or overly considered but still with a certain amount of elegance visually."

"I personally enjoy and feel comfortable with the tone of the short film, its many different styles and atmospheres. It was a rare chance to do all these different things in one project and I think the audience will enjoy it. Hopefully, they will be intrigued by the five-part short film, without knowing what came before or after, so that they will feel a need to get involved in it," Director Derin added.

Commenting on Tiger's inaugural partnership with the Seales, Dr Buckley said: "We are glad that the Seales are with us on the project. We needed polished cinematographic treatment to produce a sophisticated film and the combined award-winning expertise of Derin and John Seale is a rare bonus for Tiger as it is the first time that they are working on a commercial project. John's signature and lyrical style of cinematography best-known in Oscar-winning epics like "The English Patient", "Dead Poets Society" and more recently, "Cold Mountain", transcends the film, adding beautiful nuances to the Tiger story as it develops. Derin, in particular, was captivated by the project and has worked tirelessly to direct and achieve the right look and feel for the film for the past four months."

Adding to the comments on the world-class team, Ms Locke said: "To conceptualise, script and bring to fruition a series of films of this calibre always need a world-class creative team. At Leo Burnett, we did something considered radical in our industry - we asked nine creative teams from around our global network to come back with their ideas. We wanted to have a global perspective from award-winning art directors and copywriters. Among the ideas that came back to me, we found the one we were looking for from our Sydney office and developed it as a cross-market team with Mark Collis, National Executive Creative Director of Leo Burnett Australia. We then worked with Tiger to ensure that we collaborated with a crew eminent in the movie world. Once the crew was in place, we knew we were set to deliver a truly cinematic experience - on TV, in cinema and on the internet".

"We are truly happy to be the first to introduce such a strong brand communication initiative to herald Tiger's 75^th anniversary celebrations in Singapore. There are many exciting developments for Tiger in the pipeline, and we hope that "Tiger: Unravel The Secret" will give our fans a good preview of what to expect from the brand in 2007," said Mr Alan Gourdie, General Manager, Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore.

In total, "Tiger: Unravel The Secret" took nine months to complete not including the many man-hours spent trawling through countless old Tiger documents and newspaper reports which contributed to the storyboard. Time was also spent talking to veterans of Tiger whose unrecorded tales of the lager's early history further inspired the plot development of the short film.

The "Prelude" to "Tiger: Unravel The Secret" will be aired in Singapore on MediaCorp TV 5 and 8 and StarHub Cable Channels 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 23, 52 and 56 on 20 October 2006, followed by the next four sequential films - "Asia-1939", "London-1954", "Paris-1979" and "New York-2004" - on 27 October, 10 November, 24 November and 8 December respectively. "Tiger: Unravel The Secret" will also be screened on TVMobile and Focus Media TV and uploaded 'live' on www.unravelthesecret.com in stages. So go on, bring out the popcorn and ice-cold Tiger and enjoy the film!

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