Is Gal Gadot the hero Asus needs?

This week at Computex, a large computer-industry trade show in Taipei, Asus announced that Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot is the new brand ambassador for its PCs. She will appear in new global campaigns for its ZenBook Pro and VivoBook lines.

The work is by J Walter Thompson Singapore, which won the remit in April. The agency is responsible for new positioning, brand strategy and campaigns for both product lines, plus content across all digital platforms.

Gadot revealed she was working with the Taiwan-based computer maker earlier on Instagram.

In the TVC (above), Gadot uses a ZenBook Pro equipped with ScreenPad (a nifty-looking touchscreen/trackpad) to launch a drone. She also interacts with a doppelganger in what appears to be a brief philosophical exploration about curating her own public image (or maybe Ad Nut is reading too much into it). Finally she takes what the agency describes as a "leap of faith" through a virtual forest.

So the message, about unleashing creative power, comes through clearly. Ad Nut would have preferred to see Gadot unleashing a can of whupass on some baddies, but perhaps she gets enough of that in her day job.

The real question is whether Gadot is a powerful enough star to make a difference for the brand, which in May reported quarter-over-quarter declines of 13% in revenue and 41% in profit.

As Wonder Woman was a surprisingly big hit chiefly by virtue of Gadot's performance, Ad Nut woudn't bet any portion of the nut stockpile against her.   

A behind the scenes shot of Gadot at work for Asus. 

Here's what the star, the brand and the agency have to say:

Gadot:

People used to think you had to be super techy or geeky to get the most out of technology, but the truth is everyone can use technology to create. Asus' new ZenBook Pro with ScreenPad empowers boundless creativity, so I’m thrilled to be working with a brand that helps unleash the creativity I know is within us all.

Eric Chen, corporate vice president, Asus:

[Gadot] is a role model for people around the world—staying true to herself as she achieves international success. Like [Gadot], we believe everyone can pursue their own incredible. It just takes the right technology to unleash one’s creative power.

Marco Versolato, chief creative officer, JWT Singapore:

By bringing an idea to life, a hero is born—you just need to be bold and step out of your comfort zone.

CREDITS

JWT Singapore:
Chief Creative Officer: Marco Versolato
Creative Director: Ricardo Tronquini, Uma Reade & Jon Loke
Associate Creative Director: Alex Ohannessian
Junior Art Director: Junqian Liu
Global Business Strategist: Gianluca Ruggiero
Account & Project Management: Judy Ang, Kimberly Jin, Missy Tolentino, Sheereen Teo, Andy Soh & Evelyn Ng
JWT Film & Print Production: Gerri Hamill, Gina Tan, Kimie Ong, Rachel Chen, Gwee Wei Wei, Luis Calvo, Ian Ng & Benjamin Low

Film Production Crew:
Production Company: Collider
Managing Director:  Rachael Ford-Davies
Director: Ben Briand
Producer: Renae Begent
DOP: Peter Suschitzky
VFX Design & Animation: Collider
Creative Director:  Andrew van der Westhuyzen
Facilitation Company (London):Stink 
Visual Effects: Blackbird

Print & BTS Production Crew:
Production House for Print & BTS: Fresh Films Productions Ltd
Photographer: Warwick Saint
BTS Director: Sam Faulkner
Producer: Kim Griffin, Rich Carter-Hounslow
Digital Imaging : Studio AW

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also see Ad Nut's video debut, check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.