Behind Black Dog Soda's ‘Savour the Pause’ Starring Emilia Clarke
In a world that glorifies fast pace and maximum momentum, Black Dog Soda’s latest campaign turns the spotlight on the intentional act of slowing down – not as a retreat from life, but as a way to experience it more fully. Anchored by the brand’s ‘Savour the Pause’ philosophy, the campaign – starring new ambassador, Emilia Clarke – reframes the pause as a moment to be truly present without distraction.
Developed as a multi-layered expression of the brand’s thinking, the campaign captures the beauty of natural wonders such as the Scottish Highlands and the Northern Lights. In the campaign film, Emilia opts to experience these moments minus her phone camera, highlighting that true connection happens when we let go of documenting and start savouring.
Across outdoor, print, digital and experiential touchpoints, the creative execution uses immersive visuals and sensory design to invite audiences into Black Dog’s world — one where a pause is an active choice that recharges, enriches and ultimately fuels deeper engagement.
To find out more, LBB’s Sunna Coleman goes behind the scenes with VIRTUE Asia’s creative head (India), Hayden Scott who reveals what it was like to collaborate with the ‘Game of Thrones’ star, how they interpreted the idea of savouring the pause, and the learnings he will take forward into future work.
LBB> How did the idea for ‘Savour the Pause’ come about?
Hayden> ‘Savour the Pause’ is an idea that has existed for a while for the brand. But every season we try to infuse it with fresh meaning. This time around, the creative came from the observation that in the world we live in today, few experiences genuinely fill us with a sense of wonder. We travel for a 1000 miles to see something rare and special and once we are done with our photo-op we are ready to leave. No one sits down, takes in the moment and really savours it.
Our strategy team discovered that there is a term for this – ‘The Law of Hedonic Adaptation’. It means, interestingly, that while money makes it a lot easier to experience incredible things, we also normalise that experience very quickly. We found this to be an incredibly potent starting point for creative exploration.
LBB> Do you think different audiences interpret the idea of pausing differently? How did that inform your storytelling choices?
Hayden> We had a very sharply chiseled consumer profile to work with on this brand. The target customer for Black Dog in India is what we refer to as a ‘striver’. They are urban, nearing the peak of their careers and rightfully seek a better life for themselves and their loved ones.
Importantly, they choose experiences that are aspirational and will make them the envy of their peer group. The ‘pause’ in our film is one that will resonate perfectly with this customer, at this stage in their life.
LBB> What made Emilia Clarke the perfect fit? What was she like to collaborate with?
Hayden> Emilia Clarke is widely recognised in India, courtesy of her turn as Daenerys Targaryen in ‘Game of Thrones’. It helps that she is a superbly expressive actress who is able to evoke an almost child-like sense of wonder. We wanted someone who could ‘act with her eyes’ and Emilia was a no-brainer.
What’s more, with a new ‘Game of Thrones’ show on air, and Emilia’s new show, ‘Ponies’ releasing this month, she was back in the cultural discourse.
On set, she was an absolute pleasure to work with – kind, generous and eager to give her very best, despite being terribly jet-lagged!
LBB> What were some of the biggest challenges on this project?
Hayden> Well, logistics were our biggest challenge! Our director is French (Vanessa Dumont), we are based in India and Emilia lives in London. Coordinating lives and schedules across three countries was admittedly, a bit insane.
LBB> What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
Hayden> I hope our film inspires people to reclaim their sense of wonder. And that can only happen if they pause intentionally and enjoy a beautiful experience for its own sake.
LBB> What did you learn through making this campaign that you’ll carry into future projects?
Hayden> Three things. Work hard to find people who align with and respect your vision, dream audaciously (the Northern Lights in Mumbai? What!), and write visual-first ideas with highly visual language. Not new learnings honestly, but this project certainly reinforced them!
