One of my all time favorite horse advertisements is called ‘Rugs for Life’ by Horseware Ireland. Obviously I’m a fan because of the excellent Irish accent of the voice over and the fact that they call blankets ‘rugs.’ Seriously though, the heart of this ad says everything that we horse supporters believe in.
“They say a good rider can hear his horse speak to him, but a great rider can hear his horse whisper.”
There are two separate parts to this ad that are quality on their own, but together, they make it truly remarkable.
First, let’s go over what’s being said.
“Nobility without conceit. Friendship without envy. Beauty without vanity. A loyalty without compromise.”
Each of us love our horses for our individual reasons but we’re all collected on a few points – all of which Horseware Ireland perfectly captures in their short sentences starting at about the 18 second mark. Not only do these words perfectly describe the horse, they describe ideas that we all strive for, yet fall short of in our humanity.
“His body took the weight of mine and I was carried through.”
For many of us, myself included, our horses are our rock. They’re the consistent loving partners who are just as content to go on an adventure as they are to collect our tears in their fur. They take our weight, not only when riding, but in life, when it gets too heavy for us to burden alone. The spoken poetry in the second half of this video displays this perfectly.
The second amazing thing of this video is the visuals. It’s bursting at the seams with amazing cinematography – from the off center shots of the horse to the human emotion caught in the glances. But there’s something below that, there’s the story of the couple. Exchanging awkward romantic glances as young people growing into an older couple who’s love lasted the ages, just like their love for the horse. Again, this is the notion that we all strive for – a supportive partner who enjoys our passions as much as we do.
So now, let’s bring this full circle – this is an advertisement after all and it’s about a product. There’s huge brand value in the fact that it’s just an amazing piece of art, it automatically converts people to advocates by passion alone. On a deeper level it represents the product being long lasting and durable – like love.
All advertisements should strive to be more like this and I hope to one day be involved with creating something so worthwhile. This is truly the best collection of art, passion, and brand in one place.
UPDATE:
Rugs For Life wins the 2014 Equestrian Social Media Award for Rich Media. See the placings at http://www.equestriansocialmediaawards.com/years/2014-1412.
