Body Art Case Study: Nerf
Kevin Neilson Nerf/Uproar
About The Company
Nerf makes toy weapons, like squirt guns, and foam weaponry. The target demographic for this project was 10-14 year old boys.
Assignment
How kids play with the Super Soaker.
To be inspired to do more than just even the typical "blasting." They wanted to show a different interpretation on strategy; a unique play experience with their product and a new reason to find their brand fun. They needed top minds for a creative concept. When playing, that kids could, not just hide, but literally camouflage into their environment. The sneaky kids have the advantage over the other team.
They wanted to also portray the performance of water blasting and not just a regular squirt gun.
It doesn't tie into body painting in all senses, especially since it was kids, but since it is a competitive category with similar toys, they wanted to stand out.
Solution
To show kids that super soakers blast more water. As the blast each other, even by the end of the commercial, some of the camouflage is washed off, which shows the power. Body painting served as a vehicle to demonstrate the awesome capabilities of the super soaker blaster. Kids don't paint themselves to this degree, technically they could, but it is a way to inspire them.
They wanted to show the kids that Nerf is better than the knock off brands. Not using a super soaker only gets you wet, not soaked. Nothing soaks like a super soaker.
Campaign & Media Distribution
Nerf - Super Soaker Commercial “Camo Battles”
The media was for a national commercial. 2 15 second spots and 1 30 second.
Results
It is hard to make a good judgment on sales, because any commercial like this also drives sales of other water blasters. When super soaker advertises, other companies get a lift for it and they know it.
Testimonial
The biggest fear was if they could get it all done in one take. Trina painted the clothes a day before the shoot and managed all of her time well. They were also at the mercy of daylight. At some points, since he does have a fine arts background he was tempted to help out, but didn't want to step on any toes.
Favorite Part
To see all of the kids get a kick out of it. He felt like it motivated teens and tweens to get excited for the product. It was, hands down, such a creative, unique project. You would never think bodypainting and squirt guns would ever cross paths. It was very worth while. Enjoyed watching the director work with Trina and how she managed her team. Watching chaos turn to goodness and all work out.
