Ahead of the new season of The Bachelor, MediaWorks has released the identity of the man at the centre of TV’s most elaborate love polygon.
The 60-second reveal video introduced Zac Franich, sitting on a couch while sharing his desire to find love while a montage of clips plays, including a couple holding hands, friends running around, and Franich walking in the bush and surfing.
And as is to be expected, there’s also some decent ab footage thrown into the mix.
Creative director Shay Logan says the aim was to highlight how genuine Franich is and it was careful not to make him seem too opulent or self-absorbed “because he is down-to-earth Kiwi guy”.
“The campaign offers the audience a glimpse into his life while not giving away too much prior to the show launching. Walking in the forest, catching a morning wave, enjoying time with friends, these are all things the bachelor pursues in his normal day to day. I wanted him to build trust with the audience by opening up on camera,” Logan says.
With The Bachelor in its third season, it’s easy to draw comparisons to the previous season—which saw Jordan Mauger lose the audience’s love after it was revealed he dumped Fleur Verhoeven shortly after the show drew to a close. When StopPress put this to marketing manager Reuben Wiremu, he said: “There’s no doubt that last season showed the path to true love isn’t the same for everyone. We know we have some work to do as far as convincing the audience this Bachelor is different. I believe this campaign achieves that.”
Also different this time around, is the bachelor’s identity being released so early, as the show doesn’t go to air until 19 March. Wiremu says before the previously seasons, speculation was rife and this year’s early glimpse is MediaWorks’ acknowledgement that the audience needs are changing and long, drawn-out tease campaigns are a thing of the past.
He says it’s opted to give people information to satisfy the need to know who he is while holding enough back to be revealed in the show.
He adds, making the announcement through The Project gave it the right treatment, with an entertainment and news hybrid. And for fans of the show, he says it’s not the last time The Project will have exclusive Bachelor information.
Despite releasing the reveal campaign early, keeping attention off Franich in the lead up still proved challenging, particularly when filming the scenes out on the water.
Wiremu recalls one of Franich’s surf students surfing at the time Franich was surrounded by cameras. Franich was quickly removed from the water and covered until the coast was clear.
Credits:
Executive Creative Director: Ant Farac
Creative Director: Shay Logan
Art Director: Musonda Katonga / Juita Tambunan
Marketing Manager: Reuben Wiremu
Assistant Brand Manager: Jay Patel
DOP: Ryan Heron
Post Production: Mikee Carpinter
Producer: Patricia Phelan
