designfever utilized Street Fighter II characters to attract viewers in their 30’a and 40’s when advertising for the used trading site, Carz.co.kr.
Korean agency designfever was responsible for the planning, shooting, and editing of the live-action video footage that was later combined with digital footage from classic Street Fighter 2 games in order to create a highly recognizable viral film. The ads aired on television and silver screens across South Korea.
The majority of visitors to used car sites are usually men in their 30’s and 40’s. In an attempt to capture the audience, designfever relied on the nostalgia evoked by the wildly popular Street Fighter 2 Game, incorporating the copy ‘Carz, for when I sell my car’ to sound like the original character’s memorable catchphrases.
The protagonist of the film features legendary Street Fighter character, Ryu, easily the most recognizable character for the target audience. The intro and outro of the advertisement features a live-actor with a striking resemblance to Ryu. Actual footage from the Street Fighter 2 game was cross-edited in between the intro and outro to create a unique tension.
One of the most memorable aspects of the Street Fighter 2 game is the unique sounds and special moves that each character makes. designfever was determined to strike a chord with the viewer’s inner child by using the easily recognizable sound effects ‘Hadouken’, ‘Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku’ and ‘Shoryuken’ within the film. Using the concept of ‘Mondegreen’, we slightly changed Ryu’s infamous sayings so that they would mention something about cars while still sounding like the original phrases. Rather than Hadouken, Ryu shouts ‘Carzogeh (Come to Cars)’ and ‘EoLeunOhGeh (Come here quickly)’ instead of ‘Shoryuken’. He also shouts ‘Where can I see this?’ in Korean (Where do I sell it?) instead of Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku. Ryu’s opponents, Dalsim and Ken, also have their own unique catchphrases that mimic a conversation between the two fighters, creating the video’s most attractive point.
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