When it comes to TV advertising a piano is a fantastic prop. It’s a high-end product, it looks good, and it has “heft”. But the brilliant new “feel-good” ad for JET (a UK fuel/filling station brand) has taken the “piano-in-ad” genre to a whole new level.
This is the first TV ad JET have run for over 20 years. Entitled “Keep on Moving” it opens with a high-spirited pianist “driving” his piano through the English countryside playing and singing “Steppin’ Out” by Joe Jackson taken from his 1982 album Night and Day.
Our pianist subsequently pulls in to a Jet service station for a quick refuel (and a snack!) before getting back on the road. The tag line is “Don’t let filling up slow you down”.
There’s something really bubbly about this production, partly from the choice of song, but also through the enthusiasm of the pianist. When it ends, you just want to play it again… see for yourself.
“Keep on Moving” was created by isobel, an independent London-based creative agency — they have a fun website! And the ad was actually made by Chief, a Manchester-based production company, and directed by their Nate Camponi. The ad was shot in the UK’s Peak District National Park, and at Jet’s White Rose Service Station in Barnsley (northern England). So now you know!
The pianist isn’t credited, so if anyone knows who he is please get in touch. He deserves recognition, not least for performing in such weather conditions.
How was the ad made?
Luckily, there’s a behind the scenes /making of video of the production, which gives away all the secrets. And there’s no CGI!
The piano, a Bechstein grand, was bolted to a road trailer and towed behind a camera truck. When it pulls up at the JET filling station the trailer is actually manhandled into position. The truck, trailer and stagehands were all erased in post production.
So far the ad has only appeared in the north of England, the Midlands, and on SKY’s AdSmart network. It would be great if it got a wider distribution as it really promotes the joy of playing a piano, albeit on a cold, damp, northern moor. Oh, and there’s the petrol/gas too!
Pianos love the camera, and you may want to look back at some other great ads we’ve highlighted over the years. Two are “piano-drop” adverts — one for a Middle Eastern chain store, the other for a double glazing window locking system. And there’s also Elton John’s John Lewis Christmas 2018 ad.
If you have a favourite advert that features a piano – one that isn’t directly for a brand of piano or for a piano store – please share it in the comments section below. And let us know if you enjoyed this ad too.
