The Ice Ballet

When you have a utility vehicle that’s tailored to your every need, it feels more like a partner than a car. And that’s exactly the starting point for BETC’s new epic spot for Citroën’s Professional Range, where a utility worker performs a surreal ice ballet in perfect harmony with his Citroën ë-Berlingo.

The idea pushes the symbiosis between man and machine to its absolute, absurd, metaphorical limit, bucking the category norm, and returning to the sort of epic comedy Citroën was known for for years. Of the campaign BETC President and Chief Creative Officer Stephane Xiberras said, “Citroen is not a car brand like any other, so why do the same advertising as all the others.”

The film’s signature “Apologies if work is a bit behind schedule” is a small wink at the common misconception that when there are delays on worksites, it’s somehow the workers’ fault. Here, BETC and Citroen offer their most tongue-in-cheek rebuttal: clearly, the workers have been off ice-dancing with their ë-Berlingos.

The film is set to Joe Cocker’s Iconic “Up Where We Belong” - a love-song that eloquently captures the feeling between the worker and his car - and takes place in a frozen dreamscape.

Making the film was no easy feat, with cast, crew and cars traveling to Helsinki Finland in search of masses of ice large and strong enough to bear the weight of the vehicle. The commercial was produced by Zauberberg and directed by Max Malkin, with post-production by Berlin based bEpic.

The campaign supports the launch of Citroen’s new fully electric professional range, comprised of the ë-Berlingo, ë-Jumper, and ë-Jumpy, and will be broadcast on TV, digital and social media, both in France and internationally.