T-Mobile recently decided it was time to give their brand, along with their well-known mascot Carly Foulkes, a refresh. The company wanted customers to “take a second look” at the brand and decided to add some edge to their new campaign. To do so, they called in Publicis Seattle who in turn, brought in photographer Los Angeles-based fashion photographer Caesar Lima to help bring their vision to life. Caesar—who describes his photography style as unique and dramatic—was the perfect shooter to bring out more of Carly’s edge. So, after some back and forth and some help from Wonderful Machine producer Craig Oppenheimer, Caesar and Publicis came to a deal. Soon after the estimates were approved, everyone got to work helping Carly ditch the good girl pink dresses in favor of a jet-black Ducati. The new slogan? No More Mr. Nice Girl.
For the campaign’s still shots, Publicis art buyer Pamela Vaska began her search for a photographer who could shoot strong females—superhero-type beauties. Through her search, she came across Caesar and loved his work, style, edge in his photographs and got in touch with him about the assignment. Caesar, of course, was quite excited by the chance to be a part of such a well-known, national campaign. According to him, the project was very appealing,
The concept was the rebirth of Carly Foulkes, Carly 2.0, her “Alter Ego.” They wanted her to be dark and sensual (but tasteful). Carly, otherwise more commonly known as the T-Mobile girl, is one of the most easily recognized commercial characters today next to Flo from Progressive insurance and Mayhem from Allstate.
I was attracted to the freedom I had to make the lighting very dramatic and edgy. Also, I was very excited to shoot Carly. She has an amazing face and she’s a great model, super professional, which made my life much easier.
Caesar came prepared for the shoot with his ideas and concepts ready. A lot of planning and pre-production went into making the shoot go as smoothly as possible; they knew they would only have Carly available for a couple of days. When it actually came to shooting, Caesar stuck to his guns and photographed Carly the way he wanted: dark and dramatic,
The client kept asking to shoot lighter—more light on her face, fewer shadows. But we (the agency and I) kept firm, reassuring them that everything will be okay… and they loved it in the end!
In the beginning, I felt they were a little uncomfortable (we were shooting the body double) but when Carly came in and she looked amazing, they all got excited. It was such a good vibe, everybody was excited.
The images are now being used just about everywhere: print ads, billboards, web, brochures, and the new brand refresh are being discussed across the web. Caesar is pleased to see his work displayed in so many mediums and to be a part of such a recognizable campaign. He adds, “It’s an amazing feeling to be able to work with such creative people who allow you to do what you do best; that gives you freedom and responsibility to do your job without interference. I’m blessed.”