Johnnie Walker shatters glass car for drunk-driving message

Launched globally on 22 November on branded digital channels, the film acts as a reminder of the fragility of human life as it asks people to make the commitment to never drink and drive, according to the agency, Iris Worldwide. The spot coincides with the final 2013 Formula One race in Brazil and end of year festivities.

Individual markets will gradually pick up shorter or longer versions of the film to push locally on broadcast channels.

Grant Hunter, regional creative director of iris Worldwide, wrote the film and Russell Appleford directed. It is set inside the McLaren Technology Centre, headquarters for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula One team.

The centerpiece of the film is a full-scale digital reconstruction of the 2013 McLaren MP4-28 Formula One car made from Johnnie Walker whisky tumblers. It took 1,750 virtual glasses to create the final form. The complexity created by the glasses and the reflections resulted in a render time of more than 200 days.

In the film, the car dramatically shatters, serving as a powerful reminder of the consequences when a driver makes a bad judgment call. The Houdini smash simulation took more than a week to generate and created a data file of more than 100 gigabytes.

“When we first presented the idea, we knew it had the potential to deliver the never drink and drive message in a surprising but beautiful way,” Hunter said. “We hope the glass car will jolt people into making the right choice to never drink and drive.”