Brett Malden aka "bmw"
Executive Creative Director | Design + Innovation + Experience
Greetings! Here is a snapshot of some relevant work that I was fortunate enough to be a part of over the last 10 years (or so!/lol) that demonstrates significant strategically-informed creative and thought-leadership. This particular compilation includes multichannel automotive and premium active lifestyle brand activations that span the extremes from national to global reaches; niche market to mainstream focus; micro to mega awareness. I hope you like!
“Brett has been a puppet master of sorts-the innovative brainiac behind the veil; underground and off the radar to the masses yet plugged-in and completely switched-on. He is the real deal and very much the total package-one of the best kept secrets in the ad biz today. As a stealth weapon and game changer he is a creative time bomb ready to explode on to the main stage in a big way and I envy the agency that lands him.”
-Alex Bogusky-Creative Insurgent of the FearLess Cottage and co-founder of COMMON.
I am HANDS-ON with::
Innovation (Pitching; New Business, Product and Client Development)…Strategy + Planning…Concepting…Creative Direction + Leadership…Writing + Storytelling…Design + Art Direction…Technology…Experiential + Event Marketing…Storyboards…Treatments…Production + Delivery
of Integrated/360 Client Engagements + User Experiences.
FEATURED CLIENTS::
NOTE:: So why did I include some very specific V-dub work AND selected Chrysler projects??? VW-because let’s face it-it’s part of American pop culture and because of the youth + humor related messaging which was ideal for the GTI target demo for example. Chrysler because it was one of the last great American car companies that was literally resurrected from the ashes. A great comeback story thanks to the powerful and at times almost polarizing personalities of the likes of a “True Grit” Clint Eastwood paired up with a pure play “Motown/Motor City” native like Eminem. But it worked-like big time-and furthermore, illustrates how I can adapt to and excel at a range of brand messaging and produce award-winning work that matters across multiple media channels both comfortably and effectively.
THE WORK::
BILLABONG::
Billabong Surf Trip:
Billabong Surf Trip game for iOS devices, was a very diverse and involved project to work on. I created the identity of the game as well as directed the UI/UX design and presentation of the Billabong brand. I worked closely with Biodroid (the developer) and Chillingo (the publisher) through all phases of the game’s development, release and continued support. My team managed the community and marketing interactions with the game on Billabong’s Facebook page and Twitter account. Billabong Surf Trip was nominated for the 2011 IMG Awards in the Best Sports Game category. (Click image to begin slide show. Click image again to return to this page.)
Billabong Girls Summer Commercial airing on FuelTV was shot in Venice, Puerto Rico and Fiji (feel sorry for me-right?). The crew and the models were a blast and this was actaully one of my favorite spots. Music by School of Seven Bells, “iamundernodiguise.”
Billabong XXL 2011 Global Big Wave Awards:
Creative art direction on the 2011 XXL logo was “bigger, darker, and meaner”. That tone was carried through all event collateral including ads and set design. (Click image to begin slide show. Click image again to return to this page.)
Billabong “Evolution of an Icon”-Men’s Global Surf Ad Campaign:
Here are a few of my favorite ads from the Billabong Evolution of an Icon ad campaign I developed. This campaign coincided with the launch of a new global Billabong logo. The campaign was nominated for the Men’s Marketing Campaign of the Year category at the 2009 SIMA Image Awards. (Click image to begin slide show. Click image again to return to this page.)
CHRYSLER::
(REVOLUTION OF A BRAND)
Where the journey began…
Chrysler BEV Pitch Video “A New Road Rising”: “A New Road Rising” Brand Essence Video (BEV) that helped win the Digital Advertising of Record (DAOR) pitch for SapientNitro in January of 2010 using all stock images and footage.
Chrysler Brand Platform BOD Video: Mood/style video presented to the Chrysler Board of Directors (BOD) showing potential treatments for all brand nameplates (Chrysler, Jeep, Ram and Dodge) as the final piece of the pitch package that solidified the win for SapientNitro in January 2010 as the Digital Agency of Record (DAOR) ousting the incumbent, Organic, who had the account since 1999.
Chrysler Brand Essence Video Round 1: Initial concepting for defining the new brand essence for Chrysler using all stock images, video footage, etc.
Chrysler Brand Essence Video Round 2: Begin defining and shaping the big overarching story for the Chrysler brand as “Arrive in Style.”
Chrysler Brand Essence Video Final: Final 90 sec. spot used to cut the 60/30/15 sec. commercials for redefining the new Chrysler brand.
Chrysler: Motown Remastered: I was not feeling the “Arrive in Style” direction-a brand promise that Cadillac or Lincoln may have been able to pull off authentically but certainly not the current Chrysler regime-and not for many years to come. This was getting too lofty and quite honestly we were over-shooting the moon. Our audience would laugh in our faces. So at the eleventh hour, we scrambled-like literally-and diced and sliced some stock running footage I had from Jaquar and decided to add a little juice and funkiness to the equation for after all this was the Motor City-right? MOTOWN BABY!!! Needless to say-jaws dropped…in a good way! We were definitely on to something BIG!
Where the journey ended… IMPORTED FROM DETROIT. It made perfect sense. It was real, authentic DISRUPTIVE storytelling that was sustainable and most important-MEMORABLE. A very proud moment, indeed.
GIRO::
“Design with Purpose/The Beauty of Design”: award winning print, outdoor and in-store POP work for Giro Helmets. (Click image to begin slide show. Click image again to return to this page.)
GT BICYCLES::
“It’s Open Season On Slow”
GT has a heritage of making fast bikes. Founded in 1974, the brand first made an impact with BMX, then mountain and road bikes. As gear went, innovative frames and cutting-edge technology in the category paved the way for GT’s speed machines. But when the mass market retailers diluted the playing field, GT started slipping off grid. My team and I set out to help distinguish the brand, appealing to an overlooked contingent of cyclists we dubbed privateers. We created the GT Golden Bike race series-a series of seven cross-country races, complete with its own cheerleaders-to help celebrate riders’ spirit of everyday competition and to re-engage the brand with specialty retailers. We also developed a tongue-in-cheek integrated campaign that declared an Open Season on Slow, with web films anthropomorphizing GT’s speed and cunning. There were also Catch & Release games and events all over the country and a social following on Facebook. Both campaigns were embraced by cycling magazines, and as a direct result 50 independent bike retailers started carrying GT again. GT Mountain bike sales experienced a year-over-year increase of 38 percent.
GT Golden Bike and Catch and Release projects follow. (Click image to begin slide show. Click image again to return to this page.)
HAVAIANAS::
Carnaval 2009 with Almap BBDO-Concept and 3D Illustration. (Click image to begin slide show. Click image again to return to this page.)
Feet Dream Too Brand Video:: VFX and animation::
HOLLISTER:
Hollister’s Ride The Wave Teaser promoting the opening of the new flagship retail store on 5th Ave. in NYC
METHOD::
Method Come Clean::
Method cleaning products are all natural, made safe for you and the environment. You could say they’re chemically and spiritually clean. This was the premise for the viral campaign we launched via ComeClean.com-a website that allowed users to spiritually cleanse themselves by entering their confessions on virtual hands which could then be washed electronically providing the user with a fresh start. Each confession entered would post real-time on the site and stream to a screensaver exposing the user’s sin to the entire world. A woman’s voice would immediately acknowledge each confession and confirm the wrongdoing however assure the user that their sin was forgiven. (Click image to begin slide show. Click image again to return to this page.)
“Shiny Suds” spot part of the “people against dirty” campaign. Original concept by CP+B, this execution by Droga5-banned from Super Bowl circa 2009.
MINI::
“Carbonation”
“Breeze”
Misc. Award-Winning Work (Click image to begin slide show. Click image again to return to this page.)
NIKE::
Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam, MediaMonks and Momkai
“Bleed Orange Gallery-Netherlands”
With the help of Momkai and MediaMonks, Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam launched the Bloed Oranje (Bleed Orange) campaign for Nike in support of the Dutch World Cup team. I was the Executive Creative + Production Lead on all the digital initiatives.
About the Bleed Orange Gallery Site: A key interactive social engagement component of the site is the “Art Challenge 2.0” whereby five prominent Dutch national artists (Jurjen Semeijn, Hotmammahot, Maarten Janssens, Superoboturbo and Woes van Haaften) will compete against each other by creating a painting inspired by the Dutch National Team Orange to commemorate their impressive performance as runners-up in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The artist with the most user-generated votes will win an official Orange jacket along with two autographed jersey’s signed by two of the Dutch National Team’s top players Rafael Van Der Vaart and Klaas Jan Huntelaar. Finally the selected artist will be formally commissioned to do a full scale version of the winning piece by the team and the finished artwork will be placed on permanent display at the trendy Precinct 5 boutique in Amsterdam.
The Website: (Click image to begin slide show. Click image again to return to this page.)
The Photo Shoot: (Click image to begin slide show. Click image again to return to this page.)
The Store Display: (Click image to begin slide show. Click image again to return to this page.)
“Nike Football-Netherlands”
Nike Football hosts a sponsored page on the influential Dutch football site Voetbalzone.nl and tapped Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam along with Momkai and MediaMonks for a fresh look and feel. I was the Executive Creative + Production Lead on all the digital initiatives.
Nike Football-“Pro Combat” Campaign: (Click image to begin slide show. Click image again to return to this page.)
Nike Football-“Never Look Back” Campaign: (Click image to begin slide show. Click image again to return to this page.)
Nike Football-“Smart Ad” Campaign: (Click image to begin slide show. Click image again to return to this page.)
Nike Football-“Unique Nike” Section: (Click image to begin slide show. Click image again to return to this page.)
QUIKSILVER::
Quiksilver branding piece for the spring 2008 product line. I was on hand helping out Quiksilver with their 2008 Spring product line. Quik used these commercials for Broadcast TV, web, blog and DVD distribution for promoting their popular “Young Guns” series of boardshorts and webisodes. These were shot in 16mm and edited in 720p HD.
SHIMANO::
Pure Shimano Guts: (Click image to begin slide show. Click image again to return to this page.)
Power to the Pedal: (Click image to begin slide show. Click image again to return to this page.)
Action Heroes: (Click image to begin slide show. Click image again to return to this page.)
VW (Das Auto)::
VW UNPIMP
20 years after the launch of the original GTI, a much-loved race-inspired version of the rabbit VW looked to re-launch an updated model of the classic. However, in 2005 the automobile climate was much different. Culturally, it was popular to take a Japanese model of lesser performance and “Pimp” it cosmetically. But the GTI came fully loaded, with state-of-the-art German engineering, a sexy new look and a reasonable price tag. So we prompted people to “un-pimp” their tuners and strap in to the new GTI.
DID IT WORK?
Coming off the heels of this campaign sales of the GTI were 150% over projected sales, and helped kick-start a year in which VW sales would be up 4% in a climate when sales for the other large automakers would be down 10% on average.
Spot #1:
Spot #2:
Spot #3:
And as icing on the cake I LIVE THE ACTIVE LIFESTYLE::
Driver
Rider
Cross-Trainer
Swimmer
Runner
Biker
Climber
Skier
Boarder
Skater
Surfer
Hang Glider
Trekker
Explorer
LOVER of all things EXTREME!!!
I’m totally psyched and ready to get busy with helping you and your talented team INNOVATE your marketing communications, MOTIVATE your audiences and ACTIVATE your brand with compelling messaging, digitally-charged user experiences, memorable interactions and sustainable experiential solutions that matter. THANK YOU!