MALIBU LAKE, CA- Composers David Grow and Nick Brown of Howling Music wrote the dramatic score for a unique Internet and broadcast advertising campaign in which ordinary golfers are given an opportunity to live out their ultimate fantasy - beating Tiger Woods. And the get the keys to a new Buick Rainier.
Conceived by McCann-Erickson, Detroit, the campaign is set up like a guerilla television show as hidden cameras capture the reactions of unsuspecting golfers when Woods approaches them on the tee of The Legacy Club course in Florida.
Woods asks if he can play along, then challenges the others to see who can hit a ball onto the green and nearest the hole. He offers a Buick Rainier SUV to the winner. Some 29 golfers go toe to toe with Woods, with four winning Rainiers - although they don't seem to believe their good fortune until the vehicle arrives at the green.
The contest is captured in short form in a 30-second television spot, titled "Tiger Trap" and in extended form, as a 5-minute movie of the same name on the Buick website (www.buick.com).
Music by Grow and Brown power both the television and Internet versions of the spot, with the latter affording the composers an opportunity to showcase their narrative skills. "We wanted to do something dramatic, something that felt like a movie," said Grow. "The piece begins with an orchestral segment, but quickly evolves into something different, mixing modern electronica with ‘60s R&B."
Grow and Brown recorded their score live with the R&B flavored section carried by a classic set up of guitar, bass, drums and Hammond organ. "The music helps to tell the story in a dramatic and refreshing way," said Grow. "This was a great opportunity to use music to underscore what is going on creatively."