Jungle kayaking with Whitewater Fresh Zest

P & G goes to Agua Azul, Mexico.

The trek through the dense, tropical jungles of Chiapas, Mexico felt like something right out of an Indiana Jones movie. I strained to keep my imagination in check but I almost expected a burst of poison darts to pepper the trees as we passed. Local Mayan Indian guides, weighed down with Panavision cameras and lights trudged before us while large, strange spiders scurried under our feet and brightly colored birds flew overhead. Suddenly, the jungle parted to reveal the destination of our journey… the stunning turquoise waters of “The Cataratas de Agua Azul” (Spanish for “Waterfalls of Agual Azul”), one of the most beautiful collection of cascading rivers in all the world.

We had come to this remote location in 1993 to film the introductory commercial for a brand new Zest line extension from Procter & Gamble, Whitewater Fresh Zest. Unlike original Zest, which was aqua in color, this bar was pure white with a bracing, clean scent and was positioned to go up against Lever 2000 which had made huge impact on the market. The agency and client had gone through an extensive process to name the new bar and I was pleased that the Whitewater Fresh name was one of my submissions. What I loved about it was that it immediately conjured up images of churning, white water and clean, smooth skin and that perfectly meshed with the accepted image of our brand. The name also suggested a very energetic image for our first commercial and a very specific Zestful activity, whitewater kayaking. Our Zest client completely agreed and pre-production of our commercial got underway immediately. But as we began exploring various river and stream options, we discovered that most whitewater locations looked anything but clean. In fact, most river rapids or waterfalls were either muddy brown or a nasty shade of gray due to the dirt and silt churned up by the rampaging currents. For about a week, there was a huge disconnect between our collective vision and the reality of our research. But all of that changed when our producer Debbie Dunlap came upon a TV episode of National Geographic that was all about jungle kayaking and shot in  the river and waterfalls of Aqua Azul, Mexico. There in brilliant color were a series of thrilling kayaking sequences that were filmed on the Usumacinta River. Here, the water appeared so brilliantly aqua, it looked like our storyboards had come to life. Shortly after sending the half hour show to P&G, we were given the go-ahead to begin exploring what it would take to film there. We also had to choose a production company, an adventurous director and find an athletic actor capable of skillfully handling a kayak in extreme and unpredictable whitewater conditions.

Casting for the commercial was initially held in a studio near the agency. But once the larger group of actors and athletes was narrowed down, we took the casting selects to an indoor city pool for them to demonstrate their kayaking competence. One by one, they paddled back and forth across the pool doing a series of kayak or Eskimo rolls on command. A few of them almost drowned and barely completed the maneuver and were quickly eliminated. If these guys couldn’t complete the roll in the calm of an indoor pool, we’d certainly be risking their lives in the surging currents of a jungle river. The actor we finally chose was named Jim Davidson and he was everything the part called for. Well muscled and about 6 ft, 3 inches tall, he was not only skilled at handling a kayak, he had a broad smile, great skin minus even the tiniest tattoo and exuded a contagious sense of confidence. With our hero cast, our agency team, clients and production company began our jungle quest and headed to the exotic mountain state of Chiapas in southern Mexico to capture our concept on film.

Communication is a key element in a TV production and our location made things even more difficult. Chiapas was located in such a remote region that the principal language was Mayan although some of the locals did speak Spanish as a second language. No one spoke or understood English. Fortunately, my Art Director Alex Ross grew up in Majorca, Spain and he served as my translator whenever I had to communicate.

If I needed another reminder that our shoot was an adventure worthy of Indiana Jones, our Aqua Azul location was only a short journey through the jungle to the ruins of one of the most impressive Mayan cities in all of Mexico, Palenque. Perched on the first rise of the Tumbala mountains, it was an ideal site for exploring and our production team spent one full morning checking it out.

As we went through our technical scout, some of the unseen hazards of the Usumacinta River suddenly proved to be far more treacherous than anticipated. Over the centuries, the rushing aqua water had carved a series of underground caves in the limestone and an unsuspecting person could easily get sucked into a horrific, eternal spin cycle. Once submerged, rescue was impossible and drowning a certainty. To combat this, rope lines were stretched across the river to guide in our crossing. However, on one occasion, Jim Davidson was forced to quickly scoop a crew out of the river just before he was sucked to his death.

Much of our storyboard involved dramatic shots of our kayaker navigating churning rapids and going over small waterfalls. To capture one exciting overhead sequence, our director had the production crew erect a scaffolding right at the edge of a waterfall. Tied to the shore with ropes so they wouldn’t get swept over the edge, the crew drilled holes into the limestone and inserted metal pipes. Over a three hour period, I watched a tower rise that was about 12 feet high. And it was from that perspective that we filmed the kayak race through the rocks and the currents.

However, the most thrilling shot in our commercial involved the kayak going over the massive Aqua Azul waterfall. Over 20 feet high, it was one of the greatest drops ever attempted in a kayak and far too dangerous for Jim. Although our gung-ho principal actor probably would have given it a try, we made the decision to enlist the help of a member of the Mexican Kayaking Olympics team to take on the challenge.

So on the second morning of our shoot, our director placed three cameras in the waist high water to cover the perilous drop over the edge. A drop from this height had never been attempted before. In fact, we had no idea how deep the water was at the base of the falls or whether the bottom was clear of rocks and branches. To get some sense of the depth, we sent several kayaks with manikins in them over the edge. We wanted to see both how long it took for the craft to surface and whether it might become caught in underwater debris. Finally, all seemed ready. Along with our production crew, the wife of the Mexican kayaker was standing next to me in the rushing waist-high water and she seemed anything but confident. In fact, just before we rolled the cameras, she became visably anxious and several of the crew members who spoke Spanish did their best to convince her that everything would be fine. Frankly, I needed a little assurance as well.

When our A.D. finally called action, everyone focused on the top of the falls awaiting the tiny kayak that was about to plunge over the edge. Suddenly, there he was. We held our collective breath. With both hands holding the paddle triumphantly overhead, he sailed over the top and down the face of the churning, white water, disappearing into the pounding froth and mist at the bottom. And then, nothing. He had simply disappeared. Standing next to me, the kayaker’s wife looked on nervously. We heard the roar of the water and the cries of birds overhead. Perhaps it was only 10 seconds, but it seemed like an eternity. And then suddenly, the kayaker and his craft shot from the depths like a cork unleashed from a bottle. A cheer rose from our film crew and the peasants who were watching from the shore. The kayaker’s wife threw her hands in the air and thanked God for sparing her husband. I turned to the director to make sure that we’d gotten it all on film. He nodded and punched me in the arm.

We spent the rest of that day shooting the rest of the story board and then packed up and headed back to our hotel. Back in New York, there was still a day in the studio filming Jim in the shower with the actual product. The only visual disconnect for me was the fact that, because of the danger of the falls, Jim was forced to wear a helmet at all times. So the transitions to the shower sequences weren’t quite as experiential as we’d imagined. But the final edit proved to be a very powerful piece of branding. In the final cut, we had him come over the edge of the falls and splash into an in-shower product shot of New White Water Fresh Zest.

When we added our now familiar chorus, “You’re not fully clean unless you’re Zestfully Clean”, it all came together beautifully. Our perilous jungle expedition had produced a powerful and attention-getting introduction for a new line extension from Procter and Gamble. A footnote in shower history. On January 4, 2011, Zest was sold to High Ridge Brands Co., a new company formed by a Connecticut-based private equity firm. Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed.