The Hunt for Hibernation

Once upon a time, you had to be tough to love the outdoors. You had to love the cold, the wet, the wind and snow. But now, thanks to the luxurious comfort of the new Citroën C3 Aircross, you can enjoy the outdoors from a place of absolute serenity. Which seems great. Unless, of course, a horde of wild bears decides they’d also prefer to enjoy the outdoors from the comfort of your backseat. And so begins yet another chapter in the new identity of the Citroen brand: The Hunt For Hibernation.

For its latest Citroën campaign, BETC features stunt bears that are more lifelike than ever. Created entirely in CGI by the German studio b-Epic, these bears, absolutely crazy about comfort, come to life thanks to unparalleled technical expertise. "We wanted the bears to be really lovable. So that you almost feel bad for them that they haven’t caught the car - even if that would have almost certainly meant the untimely demise of our Citroen drivers," explains Nick Bakshi, Creative Director at BETC Paris for this campaign.

This cinematic campaign, worthy of a Hollywood production, owes much to its directing duo, Dorian & Daniel (Zauberberg Production), the multi-award-winning directors who bagged two Gold Lions and one Silver Lion at Cannes for their recent work on Samsung's "The Spider and the Window." The duo also directed four USP videos for the campaign with a bold cartoony spirit, featuring our famous bears doing whatever it takes to enjoy the comfort of the new Citroën C3 Aircross. This 360-degree campaign will also include print and radio.

On social media developed by BETC Fullsix, the campaign goes far beyond a mere adaptation by launching the career of the very first influencer bear. Having managed to get hold of a Citroën C3 Aircross, he uses Instagram and TikTok to introduce his fellow bears to all the details of the car—so much more comfortable than a cave for hibernation.

The campaign perfectly aligns with Citroën's recent works, like The Alien for the new ë-C4, The Revolution for the new ë-C3, The Ice Ballet for the Professional Range - blending an epic and cinematic world with an extra-large helping of humor - and harkens back to the brands creative heyday when it was making iconic works under the watchful eye of advertising legend Jacques Séguéla.

"This film will highlight why the New C3 Aircross is poised to become one of the key players in the B-SUV segment," says Federico Goyret. "We hope you enjoy what we’ve created."

So now, sit back in one of the seven Advanced Comfort seats of the new Citroën C3 Aircross (quite a feat for a compact SUV), crank up the volume to Chicago’s hit "I Don’t Want to Live Without Your Love," and get ready for the wildest chase of the year!

The campaign is built around a 360° strategy: TV, cinema, radio, press, and digital. It has launched on February 3rd in Belgium and will launch on February 20th in France, and then in Germany, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.