For national auto body repair service provider CARSTAR, thinking about collision repair is just the tip of the iceberg in their latest tongue-in-cheek campaign, “Titanic.”
In collaboration with Charlotte-based agency Mythic, CARSTAR marks its return with a bold, unexpected concept in its first major campaign since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. TV ad, directed by We The Grimshaws out of Ruckus Films, takes viewers aboard the legendary Titanic, where the first officer casually mentions CARSTAR’s exceptional collision repair services to the ship’s captain—at an ironic moment just before disaster strikes. The humorous spot is part of the integrated campaign “If There’s a Collision, There’s CARSTAR,” aimed at boosting brand awareness while underscoring the company’s collision repair expertise. Watch below:
In addition to the “Titanic” spot, the campaign includes a 30-second ad airing throughout Canada titled “Oh Deer,” both of which highlight CARSTAR’s unparalleled customer satisfaction ratings and emphasize the brand’s commitment to quality service. Here the campaign uses the tagline, “We make accidents unhappen.”
REELated:
“We refer to our CARSTAR network as a family of family businesses because our locations are locally owned and operated, with some even spanning multiple generations,” says Melissa Kwiatkowski, VP of Marketing at CARSTAR. “While we have this positive brand association because of our network’s exceptional work, we wanted to ensure we boosted that brand awareness so that everyone knows who CARSTAR is and why we have an over 30-year legacy of collision repair excellence. Mythic was instrumental in helping us refresh our advertising in a bold way that pulls our brand forward while still highlighting our expertise.”
David Olsen, EVP Executive Creative Director of Mythic, adds, “A collision can be a pretty historic event. So, knowing CARSTAR wanted an idea that would be memorable, combined with the fact that they’re North America’s largest network of collision repair experts, got us thinking about historic collisions that we could recreate in a playful way. The reality is, when there’s a collision, we should all be thinking of CARSTAR—no matter when, no matter where.”
The campaign is set to run across TV, radio, and digital platforms, with commercials airing on cable networks, online streaming services, and various digital and social channels. The integrated effort also incorporates radio, streaming audio, print, out-of-home (OOH), social media, and digital advertising.
CREDITS:
BRAND: CARSTAR
- VP Marketing: Melissa Kwiatkowski
- Senior Marketing Manager: Graeme Eber
- Brand Manager: Norm Hay
AGENCY: Mythic
- Chief Creative Officer: Lee James
- Executive Creative Director: David Olsen
- Agency Producer: Guerin Piercy
- Creative Director, Art+Design: Mike Herman
- Creative Director, Copy: Mark Fisher
- EVP, Strategy & Planning: Rachel Cobb
- Director of Strategy & Planning: Caroline Coffin
- Planner: Rob Piscitelli
- SVP Group Account Director: Leah Sanders
- Management Supervisor: Jenna Cardiero
- Senior Account Executive: Meg Oxford
- Project Manager: Madison Racel
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Ruckus Films
- Directors: We the Grimshaws
- Managing Partner: Greg Jones
- Head of Production: Sabrina Mossberg
POST: Mackcut
- Executive Producer: Gina Pagano
- Editor: Mike Rizzo
- Assistant Editor: Evelyn Chat
- Color: Steve Picano
- Mix: Sam Schaffer
- Conform: Joe Miller
- Mythic Studio
- Post Production Manager: Denise Toledo
- VFX Artist: Parker Littleton
- Production Coordinator: Sean Beck
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