Saatchi Design was originally commissioned by Spicers Paper to design Splendorgel's branding in 2002. Each campaign has been based around a distinct message and has captured the personality of the Splendorgel brand. The first brochure asked "Splendorgel, What the hell is that?" and played on the unusual brand name. The second brochure, "So, what's new?" stated that there was nothing really new - an exceptionally honest thing to do and a very different approach from usual paper promotions.
The third campaign is no different. People don't usually think too hard about paper, but with the latest campaign, Spicers believes there should no excuse not to think about Splendorgel.
By exploring four main concepts - White Space, Reliability, Digital and the Environment - the new campaign outlines why Spicers Paper says Splendorgel deserves serious consideration. Splendorgel has recently obtained FSC Mixed Source Chain of Custody certification, which supports the growth of responsible forest management worldwide.
This also provided Saatchi Design's creative director, Julian Melhuish and internationally renowned photographer, Ingvar Kenne the opportunity to go on their own contemplative journey into the Australian outback ... choosing Broken Hill as the location for the photo shoot. Broken Hill was selected as it offered incredible landscapes and colours that would highlight the product's capabilities.
They loaded up Ingvar's Land Rover with camera gear, 20 'C' stands, a collection of huge pre-cut props carefully made from Splendorgel 400gsm by the design studio's staff, clamps, loads of wire, plenty of gaffer tape and headed off on a five day epic journey.
Julian describes the experience, he says, "On a shoot like this one, we not only experienced an amazing road trip but also, thanks to great clients like Spicers Paper, amazing creative opportunities. The long drives to each location gave us time to plan the shot before we arrived, or stumbled across it. Thanks to having a trusting relationship with Spicers Paper we were able to head out there shooting the concepts instead of tight restrictive layouts that some clients demand. This dream brief gave us the opportunity to change our minds and evolve as new and better opportunities arose.
For example, for the Reliability image, we had originally planned to shoot a broken down old car - which we found, rusting out in someone's front yard, in the middle of nowhere. The owner, happy to let us shoot the heap, thought we might like to see some of his other cars. This guy had spent the better part of his 70 years restoring cars. It wasn't long after catching sight of the remaining seven or so cars he had restored to mint condition, that we switched gears and began setting up the shot, featuring one of his perfectly restored vintage vehicles - with him, of course, as the driver."
This man was not the only helpful soul they met on their journey. The owner of the B&B they were staying at took on the role of casting agent to help them find the young indigenous woman who features in the Digital spread. (The Splendorgel campaigns have always used real people, not professional models.)
Of course, when you are miles from anywhere, such as the salt flats featured in the White Space photo, or the eerie forest in the Environment spread, finding models can prove difficult. In the end, both Julian and Ingvar modelled for these more remote locations, as there was simply not another soul to be found for hundreds of kilometres.
