Opel Calendar 2017 will be available from mid-November
"What am I doing here? It won't do me any good!" That - or something similar - was most likely what Grumpy Cat was thinking during her Opel calendar shoot posing next to Georgia May Jagger in July at Babelsberg Studios. It was obvious that the feline protagonist was not at all impressed, on the contrary, she became even more grumpy. After all, that's how everyone knows Grumpy Cat, the most famous cat in the world with 8.7 million 'likes' on Facebook. However, this did not affect the result: the twelve images of the calendar by the famous photographer Ellen von Unwerth have been completed and are more than impressive.
The first photos of the new Opel model calendar are promising: Georgia May Jagger reveals the first details of the new Opel Insignia - lifting a curtain in an eerie autumn fog scene. The revolutionary electric Ampera-e is pictured in a recharging phase that gives it a range of 500 km. Despite the mysterious atmosphere and the dreamlike dimension of the seasonal backdrops, nothing could make Grumpy Cat smile. But mainly due to the extreme polarity, the permanently grim cat and the charming supermodel Georgia May Jagger offer a fascinating, unique feeling perfectly captured in Ellen von Unwerth's photographs.
Opel fans, Grumpy Cat, Georgia May Jagger and Ellen von Unwerth will have the opportunity to enjoy an exciting exhibition of the calendar photos in early 2017. All the artists - including Grumpy Cat - will attend the presentation.
And for those who don't have the patience to wait, a strictly limited production edition of the Opel calendar "Georgia & Grumpy - Not impressed by Wonderland" will be available from mid-November 2016 for 29.95 Euro (retail price incl. VAT in Germany) exclusively at https://opel-collection.com
Grumpy Cat takes over Opel's Facebook and Twitter channels
Anyone who goes into Opel's social media channels these days sees some strange things. For example, for a few days now he has been reading that 'Community work is very important'. As if 'Likes' are helping change. #OpelGoesGrumpy". Now we know who is behind this: Grumpy Cat, star of Opel's new calendar "Georgia & Grumpy - Not impressed by Wonderland" and the newest member of Opel's social media team. It seems Opel has not only 'aligned' its advertising agencies. Opel Marketing Director Tina Müller explains how the furore on social media channels came about. Everyone knows the weirdness of Grumpy Cat. It was obvious that it was only a matter of time until she hacked our social media accounts and left her mean-spirited comments there."
Bitter posts are nothing new for Opel. Right after the calendar was produced, Grumpy Cat made a post entitled "Worst Photo Shoot ever". Just how badass she was during the photo shoot at Babelsberg Studios can be confirmed in the live footage of the new making-of video. In several shots, Grumpy Cat mercilessly ruins the moves of her diary co-star Georgia May Jagger and photographer Ellen von Unwerth.
But Opel is not ready to accept the facts so far - quite the opposite: the people in charge still believe that the cat has hidden charms, which is why Grumpy Cat is at the center of the entire social media campaign "Drive it or hate it". "What conventional obligations, what shamelessness and shyness, we at Opel love Grumpy Cat! That's why we want to try to make her smile with the new online campaign. And we should succeed at least once!" said a conciliatory Tina Müller.
"Smile please!": Online special forces team tries to cheer up Grumpy Cat
To achieve its goals, Opel recruited the "Grumpy Squad" as part of the campaign. An online task force team consisting of Nilam Farooq, funnypilgrim and Emrah. Together with their social media followers, they pose the following question: What would the calendar look like if Grumpy Cat and the online community had an opinion on the design? To find the answer they set out on a quest to find the '13th picture of the calendar'.
Grumpy Squad leader and lifestyle blogger Nilam Farooq explains the different stages of the campaign in her YouTube video. For example, YouTuber Emrah invites viewers to participate in a 'build it yourself' challenge and submit their design suggestions for a Grumpy Cat-style Opel. Emrah will 'flesh out' the best one and transform a conventional Opel ADAM into a fully functional Grumpy Car. There will also be content for those who love cats at funnypilgrim, inviting fans to paint a Cat Face with make-up. The winner will star in the 13th picture of the calendar, with a Grumpy Look in the made-up Grumpy Car. This photo shoot will be part of the calendar's premiere in February.
But is that enough to make a naturally grumpy cat smile? So far, only Grumpy Cat claims this: 'Is this supposed to be funny? Who are the influencers, does anyone know them? Has anyone at Opel looked closely at the numbers? Helow??? I have almost nine million followers on Facebook alone! Nilam has only 1.1 million subscribers on YouTube, funnypilgrim not even 350,000 and this Emrah with the weird hairstyle has about two million followers. That doesn't help me at all, it doesn't make me smile - it sure is a laughing matter."
You can follow the progress of the story on #OpelGoesGrumpy on social media. And for anyone who's curious and puts aside their fears, we suggest you meet the baddest cat of all time at the calendar launch in February.
