Smythson, the iconic British brand, has launched Journey To The Wild Side in celebration of the wonders of travel. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Sophie Edelstein, the short film features Australian actress and model Phoebe Tonkin playing an American tourist trying to find Buckingham Palace.
So, before I tell you more about the campaign, I had to share with you the awesome way in which I discovered it! I had a package delivered to me, that instant-recognisable Smythson blue bag, that had three animal-laden balloons attached. Inside were two boxes. I found Smythson’s signature Panama notebook with ‘inspirations and ideas’ foiled across the front. In the second There was a little box with a pull tab. I pulled the tab and a screen popped out that started playing the campaign! I totally geeked out over it. I’ve never seen anyone market a campaign like this before. Pure genius.
Find the Palace
Our heroine quickly discovers that trying to find the palace isn’t as easy as she hoped…and her adventure begins to take a wild and wonderful turn. An eclectic array of dances (original choreography by Aaron Sillis), a vibrant sore Menlo Park and a whole host of characters, including a celeb cameo and three talking animals, all encourage the adventure’s insatiable curiosity.
“Originally, I wanted a real elephant running down Regent Street - no joke - but obviously that can’t happen because we couldn’t shut down Regent Street, nor is there an elephant actor willing to do that (except in Germany, I think). So, we had to make CGI animals, which was actually a terribly exciting process. It allowed me to watch countless animal documentaries and perfect what the animals would do and how they would do it.” - Sophie Edelstein, Director
Watch the film below.
The film features some of Smythson’s most iconic pieces, from the Panama notebooks and accessories to the Burlington and Soho collections.
Find out more about the campaign and shop the collection online here.
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