And Rising throw YouTube stars Mous onto Channel 4

Update

Premium tech-fashion company Mous has launched its first-ever TV campaign as part of a strategy to grow the brand beyond its online user base. Developed in partnership with And Rising, Spindle and investment partner Channel 4 Ventures, the campaign tests Mous’ protective phone cases to the limits under a new brand platform: Throw Yourself Into Life. The spot is a 60” hyperreal documentary, a cinematic recording of an live test where fifty people threw their phones into the sky and let them crash to the ground.

Mous was founded to develop protective accessories for the ever-expanding growth of high-end, design-led smartphones. The growing ubiquity of the screen as a permanent and indispensable addition to our everyday life left a gap in the market for screen and phone protection. Mous' vision is to become an iconic tech accessory brand known for creating ambitious, purpose-driven products and demonstrating value with world-class content and unique storytelling.

What does Mous - famous for lo-fi YouTube clips showing phones flying off helicopters - do on TV? Dropping your phone is a 5" story and the 60" spot was an opportunity to do their biggest stunt yet, while also telling a bigger story about society's relationship with tech, with Mous as the protectors of the things we love. The campaign unlocked when we started approaching it like a documentary, a new genre for Mous that gave us permission to create an accurate recording of a live test that feels like a trailer for a new Channel 4 drama.

Darius Rodrigues, AR Creative Director

As a YouTube sensation with over 162 million views and generating 2.9 billion impressions on social media, Mous has grown its presence through the use of viral video stunts, throwing phones out of hot air balloons, off the world’s fastest zipline, and even from the outer edge of space. Turning its attention to traditional TV advertising is part of a strategy to develop and scale the brand, boosting its style credentials without compromising its renegade energy. Seeking external creative expertise for the first time, Mous partnered with creative ventures company And Rising, who enlisted the rising music video director Milo Blake of Spindle Productions to direct his first commercial.

We’ve always said we believe in show, not tell, so we push ourselves to think about how we can properly demonstrate what the products can do, rather than just describing it. It was so important to capture that energy in our first TV ad, and this felt like the best way to marry up our viral, guerrilla-style marketing with a more TV-friendly concept.

James Griffith, Mous CEO

Earlier this year, Mous successfully raised £2.7m in a Crowdfund called ‘Equity for Mous Makers', having previously received investment from Piper, the backer of other large-scale brand disruptors such as Bloom & Wild, Monica Viander, Mindful Chef and Wattbike. Mous investment in TV advertising comes as the brand seeks to develop a mainstream presence and scale its brand credentials towards other leading market innovations.