Snow Man's Meguro Ren appointed as Motorola brand ambassador! Co-starring with his partner "Mini REN" in TV commercial

■ “In a futuristic setting, I filmed myself and my avatar “Mini REN” talking and moving around. I wanted to do more of the floating in the air stuff (laughs).” (Meguro Ren)

Ren Meguro (SnowMan) has been appointed as the brand ambassador for Motorola. He will appear in the TV commercial “Open World” for the “Motorola Razr 50” series, which will air from September 18th.

This TV commercial features a story in which Ren Meguro, holding the “motorola razr 50,” appears in a cyberpunk Si-Fi (science fiction) world. The “miniREN,” an avatar of the “motorola razr 50,” appears from the outer display of the “motorola razr 50” and takes Meguro’s hand and runs up into the sky above the city. Meguro, who uses the “motorola razr 50” in handy mode to shoot the world from the sky, is amazed at the blur-free images captured by the AI-equipped camera. As the dawn of the world begins with the new folding smartphone, he says, “Are you getting bored of the ordinary?” and sets off on a journey to the next exciting world. The “motorola razr 50” becomes like a companion to Ren, and the story of the combination of “Ren and miniREN” is woven by the two.

■CM concept and highlights
To express that the “Motorola Razr 50” will become a companion to all its users, the story features the “Motorola Razr 50”’s avatar, “Mini REN,” appearing in front of the main character Meguro, who is also a Motorola brand ambassador, and showing him a new world never seen before.

The video conveys the appeal of the functional beauty of the foldable smartphone, and expresses the various experiences that the “Motorola RAZR 50” offers. The world of the stage is set in a cyberpunk world to convey the brand’s cutting-edge image. The performance with the 3D animated “Mini REN” and the impressive wire action that Meguro took on are also major highlights.

In addition, at the same time as this TV commercial, the “Motorola Razr 50 AIBOU Avatar Commercial Appearance Campaign” has started, where you can create an avatar to be your “partner” from your own photo. In this campaign, if you apply through the special website, you will have the chance to have your avatar appear alongside Meguro and “Mini REN” in the sequel TV commercial. For more details, please visit the special website.

■ Filming episodes
After a meeting with the director, Meguro entered the art set, which was designed to resemble a futuristic train, and waited to begin filming the scene in which he jumps off a moving train into the station. Meguro, who is good at physical acting, showed off his splendid acting by leaning out of the train door and stepping off the train onto the platform, and overwhelmed everyone around him by getting the OK take in just two tries.

Meguro commented that the character design of the avatar “Mini REN” captured his unique features, saying, “It’s cute and I feel attached to it.” Unfortunately, the scene where he meets “Mini REN” did not actually happen, but Meguro confirmed his position with the prepared doll and asked, “Is ‘he’ here?” as he imagined “Mini REN” in front of him during the shoot.

In the scene where he flies through the air with “Mini REN”, he takes on the challenge of wire action. In the test footage, where he soars 5m, he laughs wryly, but also has the presence of mind to smile and say, “It’s fine!”. The staff who saw him jumping up at breakneck speed called out to him with concern, but Meguro just smiled as if nothing had happened. After filming, he said, “I wanted to do more (laughs).”

Meguro, who had time to thoroughly touch the “Motorola Razr 50”, was surprised at the evolved design, such as the large outer display, saying, “It’s different from the previous model.” He was impressed by the handheld mode that can be held like a video camera, saying, “It fits well!” He also pointed the lens at the surrounding staff and said, “I’m taking pictures of you all now!”, which drew laughter.

■Meguro Ren Interview
Q. Please tell us your thoughts after finishing filming the new TV commercial for the “Motorola Razr 50.”
In a futuristic setting, I filmed with my avatar “Mini REN” talking and moving around. We did a lot of filming in front of a green screen (for compositing), so I was excited to see what the final product would look like, and I also used wires to float in the air…I love that kind of thing (laughs). I wanted to do more of the floating in the air stuff (laughs). It was that much fun filming.
Q. What did you think when you saw the avatar “Mini REN” that looks just like you?
I was really happy that they made me so cute and cool, and I think I’ll grow to love it just because it’s my avatar… (laughs). I feel like saying, “Thank you for making me so cute” (laughs).
Q. What do you think is the appeal of the Motorola Razr 50?
First of all, the foldable design made me feel that it was really easy to hold when I first got it. I thought that this size really fit my hand, and because it’s a foldable design, when I want to take a photo with the members (of SnowMan), I can just place it (on a table, etc.) and take the photo… that’s what’s great about this design. And isn’t this (outer display) amazing? With a screen this size, you can check your email without opening it, and if you want to see more details, it’s linked to the screen inside, so you can just operate it. I think it’s pretty convenient. You can take videos with this (handy mode), but… I really miss this way of holding it. It also corrects camera shake, so I think it’s really easy to use. Those are my favorite points!
Q. If something happened to you, who is the first member of SnowMan you would contact?
When things get really bad, I don’t think I’ll contact the other members (laughs)… I’m just kidding (laughs). …It’s decided! Mukai Koji! If something happens and I contact him saying “Help!”, he’ll probably come flying over (laughs). He’s also a hero, so I’ll contact him if something happens.
Q. Please give a message to viewers who will watch the new TV commercial.
My name is Ren Meguro, and I am the new ambassador for the “Motorola Razr 50”. In the commercial, I appear alongside my own avatar, “Mini REN”, in a near-future world that’s almost like a movie. It’s a really cool finish, just like the “Motorola Razr 50”, so look forward to it!