Andy Drugan and Chris Felstead on Emotional Thinking Behind The AA’s Mini-Epic ‘Pinky’

The AA. It’s one of those classic, trusted, British brands with a long history of memorable, funny ads (“He’s a very nice man, a very, very nice man”) and the best of people on the front line. The AA Patrol.

We learnt that every single one of them are trained to fix the member first, then the car. It’s that human touch that sets them apart from everyone else. Genuine care.

In the next phase of the ‘It’s OK. I’m with The AA’ platform created by The Gate, we wanted to put that care at the heart of our stories.

Working with different creative teams, we wrote dozens of genuinely hilarious scripts. Even our CCO, Lucas Peon, threw some great scripts into the mix. The brief was to ‘be funny’ whilst celebrating the confidence the AA and their patrols bring members. But no matter how funny things got, each script wasn't quite hitting the mark for everyone involved. It was a big team.

Don’t play the comedy. Play the emotion.

Going back to the drawing board we hit upon something every parent and kid has experienced. Dying pets. Dying hamsters to be specific. A part of growing up everyone can relate to. And the story of little Pinky, stranded in a broken-down car, in the middle of nowhere, was born. Everyone seemed to have a hamster story. Emotional, yet funny. And that gave us our tone. We decided to play the emotion instead and build a mini epic around poorly little Pinky. A name inspired by the David Lynch track, 'Pinky’s Dream'.

In this new, more emotional story led direction for the platform we wanted to use the “It’s OK” line in a totally different way. Firstly, the dad reassures his concerned daughter with the famous line the nation knows and loves, “It’s OK, we’re with the AA”. In turn little Mia announces to Pinky, who’s practically breathing his final death rattle, “It’s OK, Pinky, we’re with the AA”. This injection of confidence instantly resurrects little Pinky. Then the cavalry arrives, a whole organisation kicked into action with a big, strong AA Patrol at the coal face. Understanding the situation he reassures the little creature “We’ve got you, Pinky.” A succession of emotional lines, delivered by a stellar cast of actors for comedy effect.

To AI or not to AI?

It was important to us that Pinky was real. We wanted our little girl to really feel the moment and connect with a physical hamster during her performance. We knew that was the best way for us to capture genuine and believable emotion on camera. Ultimately, we also wanted our audience to buy into Pinky’s plight and to be able to follow his story beyond this film. So, we cast real hamsters and employed the amazing puppetry of Arch Model Studios who have created puppets for the likes of Wes Anderson and Tim Burton.

The AA Patrol

We love the whole story. Little Mia is awesome. The puppetry is exquisite. But there’s something inherently funny about seeing a big AA Patrol guy, a man used to rescuing stranded drivers in the mountains, being deeply moved after he rescues a tiny domestic pet. Before heading off through the valley to rescue more AA members.

We knew if everyone involved behaves as though Pinky’s survival is genuinely important, the audience would laugh and feel something.

Guy Shelmerdine, Smuggler 

The moment we met Guy we knew he was on exactly the same page. He wanted to play the emotion too. He knew setting this story within a huge landscape and letting this tiny and precarious scenario play out miles from anywhere, would ultimately be funnier and more memorable than playing it for a quick gag. Which is important for a premium brand like the AA.

Guy was a dream to work with. He carefully thought through every detail. Incredible casting, epic landscapes, improvised lines, emotional music and a beautiful looking atmospheric film, courtesy of Selected Works and our DOP, Daniel Landin BSC.

With this mini epic we have the next phase of our campaign and a new direction for the ‘It’s OK. I’m with The AA’ platform, celebrating Important Journeys. Reassuring people that no matter how big or small their car crisis is, The AA will rescue you, fast.