insight's untitled campaign

An epic, 600-person street party held in Bondi Beach in February marked the official launch of Insight's equally epic 2011 campaign, 'Untitled'. 'Untitled' is a celebration of artistic freedom and, for Insight creative director Steve Gorrow, an act of "sticking my finger up to the industry." The campaign runs for the duration of 2011 and is depicted through a series of installations collectively conceived in Bali by Insight's 'Garage Artists' from around the world. 'Untitled' also 8 sublime original imagery captured by renowned LA-based photographer, Mike Piscitelli. Campaign videos are set to be released virally on the Internet and through Insight's digital platform on a weekly basis.

Mike Piscitelli interviewed Steve Gorrow for Oyster, providing an insight into how the campaign was developed conceptually (and why it's important to take a stance when you're the last kids not wearing suits).

Mike: My first time talking to you about shooting this campaign, we had an entirely different plan.

Steve: That's right, I remember this now. We were both trying to work on that first idea together which was projections in wave pools and cities and all that sort of stuff on a budget of nothing.

Yes, awesome.

And then we found out Hurley was doing the same ,and STAB magazine and Globe and all the rest of it, so we quit. We cancelled it ? and then we came up with this brilliant idea.

So then was it your plan to come up with a new idea? To just basically go the exact opposite direction and just like simplify it and bring it back to its core.

I was forced, I was forced ... I had to change it and so this time instead of merging the two I was like, "Fuck it, let's just separate the two and get really good artists to do really good art and get you to do really good shots and that's it." Simple ... I'm just trying to think back on how I sold you and George on the idea; I don't even know.

I think it was like, "Fuck it, we've done everything so high concept lets simplify it and make it more about like the essence of the brand."

Yeah this was totally stripping it all back and just giving everybody that had something to do with that campaign like a little bit of a voice ... it was like a free for all, but back to its roots. I kinda liked it that's why we called it 'Untitled'. It was just like, "Let everyone do what they want" ? and a little bit of a finger up at everyone who copied us like we are the last independent label and it was like a little bit of that back at the industry too. A little bit of fucking with the system while you are in the system.

Yeah, it's a fine line of you how far can you push it since you guys are, at the same time, being run by a bunch of kids.

Exactly, if you look around this office it's just all young people everywhere and no-one's wearing a suit yet, thank God.

Which is great, until you want to get paid.

[Laughs] And it all falls to shit [laughs]. Shit, it's true, 100%.

Luckily it's fun. It was hands down the most fun shoot I've been on I think, ever.

Yeah, it was all fun, there was probably zero stress.

How have you guys pushed out the campaign like it almost feels like its like more of an art project than an actual ad campaign?

This one's been ... the tightest one we've ever done; we've done website, pop-up store, a little t-shirt range, then the global launch, but it's been tighter than any other launch we've ever done. We haven't canvassed the world, but in terms of what we have done, it all links together so well.

Yeah, but it still feels less like an ad campaign and more like a project in itself ? in a good way.

Yeah well, ever since the installation series we've always tried to do that like ... trying to make advertising a little more cooler.

And how's that coming?

I dunno, what do you reckon? I'm not going to blow my own trumpet.

Well I do all the time.

[Laughs] That's cos you're American and I'm Australian. We're not allowed to do it.

Introduction: Rosie Dalton

www.insight51.com

Rosie Dalton