Tick tock, ever felt against the clock? American watchmaker and luxury-lifestyle brand Shinola’s first-ever brand campaign subverts a typical date night into a psychological study of modern anxiety about time, as the brand shifts the conversation beyond manufacturing to the role its products play in people’s lives.
Marking Succession star Nicholas Braun’s directorial debut, “The Restaurant” explores how people experience time and how to reclaim it. It opens as the actor expresses sincerely to an unseen entity, “You make me feel anxious. And stressed, like I’m always in a rush. Or I’m not doing enough.”
A ticking clock speeds up the visual rhythm, creating tension as scenes of the restaurant race across the screen. The pacing accelerates until he seizes the situation and stands up to his oppressor: his Runwell watch, Shinola’s 2011 inaugural timepiece.
London-based agency GentleForces created the campaign, which also includes a series of still images shot by Brian Karlsson that capture Braun in a restaurant setting and mirror the film’s suspense. GentleForces will act as Shinola’s first brand partner after being invited to pitch a campaign.
First campaign in 15 years
Founded in Detroit in 2011, Shinola waited 15 years to launch its first marketing campaign, which marks the first major creative work under creative director Jonathan Bailey.
Director of marketing Dana Mosa-Basha explained the campaign signals a new era for Shinola.
“From the beginning, we’ve told stories about Detroit, manufacturing, optimism, and the value of making things well. What makes this moment different is that we’re bringing those beliefs together under a different creative vehicle for the first time,” Mosa-Basha said. “It felt like the right moment to reintroduce Shinola through the watch that started it all — the Runwell — and use it as a vehicle to express a broader idea about time, intention, and how we choose to live.”
