Arnie the Viking

PROJECT INFO

This multi-video campaign project was developed in 2014, three years before the Distillery was founded, by Grande Prairie’s leading marketing agency, nine10 Inc.

Distillery founders Chris Beauchamp and Gordie Haakstad led the creative effort, in close collaboration with the nine10 team and the client. At the time Chris worked at nine10 as Creative Director.

nine10’s excellent case study describes the project well:

Hansen Ford Lincoln wanted a way to stand out among dealerships in Grande Prairie while eschewing car dealership cliches. Viking iconogrpahy had been a part of the Hansen brand for many years but had been laid to rest for a time. The challenge was to find a way to combine a viking theme and vehicle sales in a way that was non-threatening, friendly, funny and lighthearted.

Arnie the Viking, a live character, evolved from many discussions about the possibilities of both static and animated vikings. Meant to capture the imagination of all, Arnie was developed first through a series of 12 short webisodes and then leveraged through many channels including in-person events, social media, web, signage, paid video placements in Cineplex and other venues, and more.

In March 2014, a team of talented local filmmakers was brought together by nine10 for an intensive 10-day shoot on location at the Hansen lot. Included in the team were professional film directors, sound technicians, actors, creative directors, cinematographers and more. All told, well over 30 people helped make this project a success. The best part was the ability to bring local, Grande Prairie talent together to create a high-calibre project.