Brands often find themselves orbiting familiar tropes—earthbound tropes, with its latest film series, “Martian Encounter,” Schweppes ventures where few soft drinks have gone before: straight into interplanetary politics. The new Schweppes saga lands on Mars and—spoiler alert—discovers that Martians have excellent taste.
A Citrus Coup d’État
The second episode in the trilogy introduces us to Ava (Melissa James), our plucky ambassador, exchanging pleasantries and precious cargo with the Martian elite. In a tasteful inversion of colonial narratives, the Martian ambassador (Bhavik C Pankhania) offers a drop of the so-called “Gold of Mars,” only to receive in return a bottle of Schweppes Agrumes—a jaunty tangle of four citrus varieties. It’s a satirical jab at cultural exchanges: on Mars, as on Earth, the perceived value of a sparkling drink surpasses that of extraterrestrial hydrocarbon deposits.
Date Night, Cosmic Edition
Episode three shifts gears into romantic comedy territory. Ava and the Martian hero share their first date over Schweppes Ginger Beer—its spicy kick standing in for the butterflies in the stomach. Here, the brand leans into the familiar trope of “first-date jitters,” but with zero-gravity flair. One can almost hear the director Susanna White murmuring to cinematographer John Mathieson, “Make sure those ginger bubbles look as unpredictable as interplanetary love.”
Production A-Team Worthy of an Oscar
Ridley Scott Associates’ involvement is no mere celebrity cameo. With Gladiator’s John Mathieson behind the lens and The Martian’s costume maestro Janty Yates crafting spacesuits that wouldn’t look out of place in NASA’s archives, the campaign assembles a dream team. At DailyCommercials, we noted similar star-power strategies in Liquid Death’s Odyssey ad, though Schweppes’ approach feels slightly less like product placement and more like world-building.
Media Mix That Even Martians Can’t Escape
Schweppes isn’t content with a one-channel whisper. Instead, it’s broadcasting the saga on TV, VOD, and the silver screen. The staggered launch—March 23 for the Masterbrand, April 15 for Agrumes, and June 23 for Ginger Beer—ensures sustained attention. The only thing missing? A live tweet from the Martian ambassador under the hashtag #FizzOnMars.
Our Verdict
While “Martian Encounter” scores high on production values and conceptual whimsy, it toes a fine line between clever and gimmicky. The citrus handshake in episode two is a smart riff on cultural diplomacy, but one wonders if consumers crave narrative depth in their drink commercials. After all, the average viewer might be more interested in hydration than hypothetically negotiating interspecies treaties.
That said, Schweppes isn’t selling geopolitics; it’s selling bubbles. And if a bit of sci-fi spectacle helps people remember that Agrumes packs four citrus flavors and Ginger Beer brings a spice-laced punch, then we say: mission accomplished.
Credits
Brand : Schweppes Suntory Benelux (Schweppes)
François Bazini – Chief Marketing & Innovation Officer
Tanneguy Desmarest – Global Marketing Director
Nicolas Poillot – Global Marketing Manager
Emma Jalonen – Senior Brand Manager
Michel Sara – Creative Planning Advisor
Account : TBWA\PARIS
Jonathan Serog – Managing Director
Amalia Mateos-Gella – Brand Lead
Bérénice Champetier de Ribes – Account Director
Héloïse Matte – Account Executive
Tamara Fregeau – Account Executive
Stratégy :
Agathe Dumas – Strategy Director
Creation :
Benjamin Marchal & Faustin Claverie – Executive Creative Directors
Chloé Rosiaux – Copywriter
Richard Ghanem – Art Director
Production : RSA & Wilders
Susanna White – Director
John Mathieson – DOP
Will Htay – Set Designer
Janty Jates – Costume Designer
Atelier 69 – Make-up Artist
Emma Cairns – Executive producer
Thomas Laurent – Executive Producer
Aymeric Mosser – Line Producer
Maud Folléa – Production Coordinator
Charly Cuvillier – Production Coordinator
BTS: Julien Froment
MUA SFX: Fred Laine
MUA SFX: Brogan Sharp @brogan_sharp_
Cast :
Ava – Melissa James @melissajamesinsta
Hero Martian – Bhavik C Pankhania
NASA Chief – Raymond Coulthard
Sound Production : \Else
Amer Zoghbi – TV Producer
Margot Mathelin – Agency Post Producer
Jonathan Bignon – Lead Compositor
Matthieu Bouglé – Compositor
Hugo Planchais – Colorist
Production Service : B2Y
Producer: Ivan Ivanov
Producer: Daniel Vasev
Production Coordinator: Viktoria Dimitrova
Production Assistant: Teodora Marinova
Production Assistant: Danail Vasilev
Production Assistant: Mariya Strashilova
Music Production : \Else
Olivier Lefebvre – Head of Music & Sound
Ambroise Cabry – Sound Director
Thomas Jacquet – Artistic Director
Ferdinand Huet – Artistic Director
Marion Le Guluche – Music Legal & Business Affairs
Victoria Milward – Music Legal & Business Affairs
Credits :
Title – Space Oddity
Composer – David Bowie
Orchestrator – Arranger – Brice Davoli
Performing singer – Chloé Cassandre
Editor – Budde Music
Productor – \Else
Post Production : Digital District
CEO: David DANESI
VFX Supervisor : Marc-Thomas CAVÉ
Operational Manager: Najoi RIFAI
Planning Manager: Nadia TROUDE
On set VFX Supervisor: Pierre PILARD
On set VP Supervisor: Quentin JORQUERA
On set Art Director: Thomas CUREAUX
VFX Post Producer : Caroline RAY
VFX Coordinator: Emeline LABAT
Editor: Sophie FOUDRINOY
Editor’s Agent : Stéphanie PEDELACQ @DEARCUT
Editor Assistant: Juliette KELBER
Colorist: Anne SZYMKOWIAK
Colorist Agent: Carlota XAVIER @UPGRADE
Colorist Assistant: Martin CLODIC
CONCEPTS: Jérôme BILLET, Lino KHAY
LAYOUT: Than LA
3D Artists
UNREAL Technician : Jonathan EYMARD
UNREAL Supervisor: Jean-Stéphane BEETSCHEN
UNREAL 3D Artist: Alice FRANCHET
Modeling : Maxime TITOV, Kévin MONTHUREUX
Animation: Zahi ELHABACH
Texturing: Nicolas VION, Clément DAVID
Tracking: Grégory PARAIGE, Rutul PATEL, Jay VARIA
Lighting: Nicolas BELIN, Arnaud FOURNIER, Sylvain SARRADIN
FX: Axel LEPARMENTIER, Julien FABBRIS, Thomas MARQUÉ
NUKE Artist: Thomas CUREAUX
Matte Painting: Jérôme BILLET, Isabelle RAMNOU
After Effect: Fabrice THUMEREL, Rémy LERUMEUR
Flame Artists: Ingmar RENOUARDIÈRE, Michael MARQUES
Smoke: Clémence GARIN, Malo FAUVEAU
IT Department:
Chief Technical Officer: Pierre COUTROT
Frédéric CHAMONT, Hervé COLLENOT, Luca TRAVAGLIONE, Hippolyte MARTIN
IN/OUT:
Lab Manager: Guillaume CHAUSSAT
Juliette KELBER Pilar ORTA, Martin CLODIC, Manuella COMPS, Adrien JEAN-ROBERT
