GoPro is a brand synonymous with action cameras, yet it has achieved that status without ever producing a standard, scripted TV spot. That changes today, with the launch of GoPro’s “Capture Different” campaign.
The first ad of the campaign, titled “This is…,” will air tonight on national television during ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder. You can also watch it online now (above).
The ad represents a slight, but important, departure from GoPro’s standard marketing. Traditionally, the company has focused on the extreme sports crowd, sourcing videos from athletes around the world. “Capture Different” is, well, different, showing GoPro cameras being used for more casual, fun, and family-oriented activities.
The ad opens with a series of shots of people shooting images and video on their phones, tablets, and at least one interchangeable-lens camera on a tripod. Through voice-over narration, we are asked, “Is this being in the moment? Is this hanging out? Is this really playing with your kid?” The ad then cuts to a series of shots captured on GoPro cameras, taken from the perspective of the activities themselves, rather than from that of an onlooker. We don’t actually see a GoPro until the ad’s final shot.
The idea is to illustrate the power of a GoPro camera in recording everyday memories as well as special events that our outside the company’s normal wheelhouse of action sports. The “Capture Different” campaign puts the emphasis on the memories and experiences, rather than the gear. It speaks to GoPro’s renewed focus on simple but powerful tools that people of all stripes can use.
In an email, a GoPro representative shared that the company believes the ad will “resonate on an emotional level with a much wider user base … It’s a shift in strategy to target a broader consumer audience, and a shift in tone to signal a more accessible, inclusive GoPro that is relevant to all consumers — not just extreme athletes.”
In addition to tonight’s TV spot, GoPro has three separate “digital breakouts” that will be released next week, starting on Sunday, November 13. The breakouts dive deeper into the three stories touched on in the ad.
GoPro may have a lot riding on this new campaign. While the new Hero5 has met with an enthusiastic reception, production issues have hampered GoPro’s ability to meet demand. The company’s stock price has also suffered in the wake of the recall of the new Karma drone.
