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Hyundai Motors unveiled the gaming-inspired INSTEROID concept car in Seoul a few weeks ago, redefining the boundaries of automotive design. Based on the successful INSTER EV, the car is designed not only to challenge expectations for sporty electric vehicles but also to excite a new generation of drivers. Inspired by motorsports and video games and developed by Hyundai's European design team, INSTEROID boasts a striking look complemented by aerodynamic features such as a prominent rear spoiler and diffuser.
"INSTEROID represents a modern take on the idea of a dream car. It is designed to inspire and create enthusiasm," said Eduardo Ramírez, Chief Designer of Hyundai Design Europe. "This project allowed us to fully embrace unrestrained creativity, drawing inspiration from video games to create an emotional and engaging vision of Hyundai's brand."
The eye-catching campaign film "INSTEROID | A Glitch in the Car Industry" was created by Innocean Berlin, under the creative direction of Pedro Lourenço. "We get to make ads for many new cars, but it's not every day that you get to launch a car that is this different, this exciting. A glitch in the car industry," Pedro Lourenço told GoSee. "The INSTEROID campaign was CD’d by me together with my partner José Gomes, and created by a creative team consisting of Nicolas Montanaro, Ahmet Kilic, Eduardo Bozo and Konstantinos Alexandrakis. The films were directed by Pawel Jermak and produced by FELGA."
More infos via https://www.hyundai.com/worldwide/en/
Agency: INNOCEAN Worldwide Europe GmbH, European Chief Creative Officer Gabriel Mattar, Exec Creative Director Ricardo Wolff, Creative Directors José Gomes & Pedro Lourenço, Senior Copywriter Nicolás Montanaro, Senior Art Director Ahmet Kilic, Art Director Digital Konstantinos Alexandrakis, Senior Copy Writer Eduardo Antonio Muñoz Bozo, Strategy Director Anna Nowak-Otto, Strategist Ilaria Traverso, Chief Operating Officer Susanne Plümecke, Business Director Martin Gülcker, Senior Account Director Sven Kübler, Senior Account Managers Ketevan Kavlashvili & Oliver Soufan & Sheena Rajgarhia (Digital), Head of Production Fabian Barz, Senior Producer Allison Markert, Production Company FELGA, Director / CD Pawel Jermak, Production Coordinator Judyta Staniszewska
Pedro Lourenço is Creative Director at INNOCEAN Berlin and looks back on an impressive career. For six years, he has shaped the agency's creative direction, particularly for major brands such as Kia and Hyundai. Previously, he gained valuable experience at DDB Berlin, AKQA, VCCP, and SID LEE, and lived in Lissabon, London, Amsterdam and now Berlin.
Pedro himself says that his creative career began in the 1980s, in a working-class neighborhood on the outskirts of Lisbon – long before he first worked at an advertising agency. Even as a child, he had a passion for inventing stories and being creative. In a time when money and expensive toys were scarce, he and his brother brought their imaginations to life. One of their favorite pastimes was pretending to be radio presenters. They invented their own "live shows" and recorded them on an old Goldstar cassette deck – an early form of creativity that lives on today in his work as Creative Director.
From impromptu commentary on everyday events to humorous prank calls, Pedro and his brother already knew how to implement big ideas with limited resources. At school, they transformed group presentations into Monty Python-like sketches, which they filmed in their friends' apartments, often dressed in their mothers' clothes. This unconventional approach to creativity, coupled with a tireless sense of humor, continued throughout his professional career and makes Pedro one of the most exciting creative minds in the industry.
More campaigns by Pedro, his team and the agency at innoceanberlin.com
17.06.2025
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Nick Bakshi is an internationally award-winning American creative director living and working in Paris. He has been supporting the creative team at BETC for almost two years. During his career, he has worked at agencies in the US, France, and Italy for brands such as Coca-Cola, Heineken, Duolingo, Netflix, and Citroën.
As creative director for Citroën's new campaign, Nick Bakshi has created a world of fun: "Wanna Play?" – an explosive and exciting campaign for the brand-new Ami model. Compact, electric, and full of character, the Ami represents a reinterpretation of everyday mobility. The campaign depicts a woman getting into her Ami after a long day exploring the city. She steps on the accelerator and poof – a new superpower is unlocked as her world explodes into bright bursts of color. Obstacles dissolve into confetti, the city becomes a playground – then another Ami appears, and the adventure begins again.
"I hope this spot is as fun to watch as it was to make. We literally spent hours creating color combinations of confetti and throwing them in the air like children to see what they would look like in an explosion. It's a very special job we do!" says Nick Bakshi to GoSee.
Citroën France and BETC Turn the city into a playground and the countryside into confetti
The confetti comes to life thanks to Antoine Moulineau and the VFX artists at LIGHT, responsible for blockbusters like The Dark Knight and Sinners. After countless tests and the perfect fusion of practical effects and digital artistry, a world emerged that feels both incredibly real and wonderfully fun.
Music also played a central role in the campaign: the team chose Tukuntazo by El Cherry Scom x Haraca Kiko x Tokischa, a modern track that perfectly captures the mood. “The goal was to make a commercial that people would want to Shazam,” notes Nick Bakshi, BETC Creative Director. “We knew we had the right track when after 100 hours locked in the edit room with it, we still weren’t sick of it,” says Nick Bakshi.
This latest work builds on Citroën's successful series of boundary-pushing campaigns, including The Revolution for the ë-C3 and The Alien for the ë-C4, which combine surreal environments with gripping, emotional storytelling.
Here we present the Alien video for the ë-C4 and The Revolution for the ë-C3, for which Nick Bakshi also served as Creative Director.
AN OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD CAMPAIGN: Citroën's new ë-C4 campaign proves that when it comes to comfort, there's no force in the universe that can resist.
New Citroën ë-C3 100% electric, the Revolution has begun
More work by Nick Bakshi via betc.com and nickbakshi.com
17.06.2025
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Mathias Wilke is a creative visionary whose name is firmly established in the advertising world. Having worked as Craft Director and Creative Director at antoni garage (team x) in Berlin for over 10 years, he uses his talent to shape Mercedes-Benz's visual communication, creating iconic campaigns that impress aesthetically and push technological boundaries.
From staging the spectacular launch of the new G-Class to futuristic Mercedes-Benz concept cars and Super Bowl commercials – Mathias always has the perfect blend of innovation, style, and storytelling in mind.
His work is characterized by the perfect staging of light, CGI, and weightless models that become a reality in campaigns for Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-AMG. The current Mercedes-AMG campaign, directed by Henry Schofield and under Mathias' Creative Directorship, is captivating audiences. In our CREATIVES TO WATCH special, we take a look behind the scenes of his impressive work.
In the current Mercedes-AMG campaign, the ride is compared to the intensity of a roller coaster ride, under the slogan “Can’t explain it, only feel it.” What was the idea behind this metaphor and how did you visually capture the thrill? Mathias: What all Mercedes-AMG vehicles have in common is the ability to create and intensify strong emotional sensations in everyone who sits behind the wheel. We call this phenomenon the “AMG feeling.” And what makes this feeling all the more fantastic is the fact that you can’t define or specify it – you simply can’t properly explain it. We used metaphors that are specific to the individual vehicles and transform this AMG feeling into unconventional moments. Through the metaphors, we wanted to show how extraordinary this experience really is. We shot the spots in South Africa and tried to capture the vehicles differently than usual, i.e. not the “normal” Mercedes-AMG approach, but to make the vehicles experienceable up close. The individual metaphors were then subsequently created in CGI by the talented hands of Spellwork.
The slogan "Can't explain it, only feel it" fits perfectly with much of your work. How important is it to you to convey not just a story in your campaigns, but also a feeling that cannot be put into words? Mathias: Of course, it's important to me to always be unseen and special in everything I do. This not only pushes the boundaries of imagination, but also the technical limits. We always try to get the most out of everything. The fact that something fantastic emerges from this brings with it indescribable feelings. The works are meant to take you on a journey and thus be more than just an image – they are meant to be something that lasts.
As a creative director at one of the most renowned agencies, what does a typical day look like for you? Mathias: You'll be surprised, but it's very normal (laughs). Nothing special. Especially at Antoni (team x), the pace is very fast, with little time to really catch your breath. But we all look out for each other so that no one gets left behind. Only when everyone pulls together can we achieve what we've demonstrated over the years.
What are the first steps when you tackle a new project? Do you get a new model presented to you by the design team, and do you think together about how to stage it? Mathias: A new project almost always involves a new, unreleased vehicle. The designers then present it to us in a kind of giant safe. But it doesn't go beyond vehicle highlights and special features. The real magic happens when we're back home at the agency.
You've realized numerous international campaigns for Mercedes-Benz—from the iconic G-Class to Super Bowl commercials. With such a powerful brand like Mercedes, there are high expectations for visual communication. How exactly do you approach staging to continually develop surprising concepts? Mathias: When you work for the same client for years, you experience the same twists and turns, highs and lows as those that occur on the client side. You adapt and produce customized solutions that continually inspire and are unseen. In addition, I always try to stay up to date with trends and staging options. This isn't always easy, given the projects you work on, but it pays off in every job.
The futuristic visualizations and CGI elements in your campaigns are impressive. How do you develop these settings, and what role does technology play in the creative process? Mathias: The settings arise from multiple sources of inspiration, which, when skillfully combined, always produce exciting results. Small, surprising details that continually allow you to discover something new are particularly fun. Technology plays a very special role here, because you are only as good as your skills and technology allow. That's precisely why we always work with the best production partners who are willing to push the boundaries with us.
What references and sources of inspiration do you draw from the world of art, architecture, or film when developing your campaigns? Mathias: I always draw on different inspirations for my work. It doesn't matter what it is: art, architecture, or film. You have to be open to everything, always up to date, in different fields. The multitude of different projects also requires you to move in different worlds. Sometimes you are the architect of entire worlds, and sometimes you develop unique images and become an artist yourself.
To what extent has the use of AI technologies specifically changed your daily work as Creative Director at antoni (team x)? Mathias: AI is a very exciting topic. Nobody knows what will happen in five years. But right now, it's an important multiplier. It enables us to do things much faster, which would previously have required a lot of time and resources. It's very important to be very knowledgeable in this topic, because it will be essential for the future. Especially in these times, you always have to be willing to reinvent yourself, otherwise you'll be left behind. Currently, we're not using it for final products, but rather for everything that can be done with it. That will certainly change sooner or later, once the technology has reached a level that meets our campaign requirements.
Besides the enormous responsibility of implementing global campaigns for Mercedes-Benz, it must also be incredibly fun to be able to express yourself creatively in such an innovative way? Have you found your dream job? Mathias: I really enjoy being able to express myself creatively like this. Finding my dream job sounds so final—you never know what's coming next. But it's already coming very close.
How important is collaboration with other experts, such as CGI artists and lighting designers, when realizing such international campaigns? Mathias: Having a team around you that's willing to make the same decisions and follow the same paths is essential. You can't do everything alone. Mutual inspiration is particularly important because only that leads to a special result. Everyone supports each other – it's always a collaborative solution. This is true not only on the agency side, but also with our production partners and experts. These people are also very important because they bring the necessary know-how. We always pursue a very collaborative approach – internally and externally.
At the end of a successful project – what gives you the greatest sense of fulfillment in your work as a creative director? Mathias: The greatest sense of fulfillment is when you finally see a project you've been working on for a year released. Because then you can finally put the process, the ups and downs, and face new challenges and see your baby learning to walk.
If you could choose one of the vehicles to simply cruise through the streets of Berlin, which one would it be and why? Or would you rather drive through CGI worlds in a "virtual" Mercedes-Benz? Mathias: In CGI worlds, anything is possible—that's what makes it so special. But I wouldn't want to miss the feeling of driving a real car through the real world. I recently had the opportunity to drive a Mercedes-AMG GT myself in a Driving Experience and could imagine doing that more often.
More eye-catching campaigns by Mathias Wilke via behance.net/MathiasWilke
12.06.2025
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