A digital campaign by Dentsu Aegis Network Sri Lanka that has changed the wheel in digital marketing 

Isobar Sri Lanka, the digital agency and Response, the creative arm both from fromDentsu Aegis Network, a global media and marketing communications conglomerate has collaborated with JAT Holdings to launch a digital campaign called ‘#AChairWorthFightingFor’.

Herman Miller, the chair brand is imported and distributed by JAT Holdings PVT LTD. The campaign for the brand has been crafted through a witty 4- episode ad series.  The series inspired by the famous show ‘Game of Thrones’ riffs off some of the memorable characters and adapted the global pop-culture phenomena to the Sri Lankan context.

While the final season of GoT captured the interest of millions of fans worldwide, the story of ‘Danika’ (inspired by Daenerys Targaryen), set out in an office environment with power transitions and office politics, made a bizarre plot with the hilarious fight for the best chair in office, a concept familiar to anyone with a corporate job. ‘A Chair Worth Fighting For’ made the Sri Lankan trend wagon much more relatable to fans and non-fans of the global series.

While sharing the team’s creative insight for the campaign, Nisal Attanayake, Creative Director of Dentsu Aegis Network Sri Lanka, stated that “The concept is simple, but the clever execution was in releasing each episode leading to the global finale, which made it an impressive ad series that grabbed attention for the brand”.

The first chapter unfolds as “I am not my father” while the second will come to light “We always pay our debts, but what about collecting them?”. The third and the fourth are titled as,‘the last line of defense’ and ‘the time has come’, respectively positioning the brand as best in office furniture. The concept is simple, but the clever execution makes for an impressive ad that grabs attention and makes you want to sit on a Herman Miller Aeron.

Speaking about the campaign, Shivantha Rodrigo, Brand Custodian for Herman Miller in Sri Lanka said, “Herman Miller has always been recognized as the pinnacle of prestige in seating and office desking and have always set the standard when it comes to many pop-culture phenomena from the Avengers to the Simpsons and countless others. We are proud to have been able to incorporate the most iconic of the Herman Miller seating range - the Remastered Aeron to join this vast pop-culture universe at the same time being able to bring it to a local context while doing so”.

“We want our brands to ignite conversations and we have always connected with people. This novel execution has created meaningful social conversations for the Brand”, commented Tulsi Liyanage, Head of Marketing for JAT Holdings.

The campaign’s viewership has been increasingly hotter than dragon fire. Commenting on the success of the campaign, Chamith Buthgamuwa, Head of Isobar, Sri Lanka stated, “We’re only halfway through the year and, already, there have been a number of digital campaigns that have set the bar high. So it is always important for us to use multiple platforms to tap into pop culture trends and tell engaging stories, to consumers. It's great to have a brand such as Herman Miller to adventure into campaigns such as this and this won't be the last of us”.

The  film series has garnered more thana million views across platforms since its launch.

Link to the ad series :

Chapter 1 - I'm not my father - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QASRLpsD41U&list=PLIYvBdCzc6dE3uKJv2t7K1t1dLYr72p2i

Chapter 2 – We always pay our debts, but what about collecting them? –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QcU53J4bhc&list=PLIYvBdCzc6dE3uKJv2t7K1t1dLYr72p2i&index=2

Chapter 3 – The last line of defense –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWwjDoNcZNI&list=PLIYvBdCzc6dE3uKJv2t7K1t1dLYr72p2i&index=3

Chapter 4 – The time has come –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEjiPNG7J70&list=PLIYvBdCzc6dE3uKJv2t7K1t1dLYr72p2i&index=4

Credits

Advert title(s): A Chair Worth Fighting For

Client: JAT Holding (Pvt) Ltd.

Advertised brand: Herman Miller

Advertising Agency: Dentsu Aegis Network Sri Lanka

Agency website: http://dentsugrantgroup.com/

Creative Director: Nisal Attanayake

Art Director:  Nisal Attanayake

Copywriter: Gyles Dharmaratne

Account Management: Chamith Buthgamuwa, Ama Silva, Vinoli De Alwis, Haritha Separamadu,Amali Samaratunga

Additional Credits:

Production House - NELLI - The Creative Circle
Director - Udara Abeysundara

Producer - Purnima Muhandiram
DOP - Majith S. Uyangoda
Editor/Colorist - Dileepa Jayakody
Music: Pawan De Silva
Art - DimanthaBalasooriya
Costume - SawanPawithra
Assistant Director - Primál Ranasinghe
Production Manager - Anjana ashubodha
Makeup-MananuwanRupasingha
Camera - Epic 48
Equipment -FEG