Bastion has partnered with premium electric vehicle brand Zeekr and acclaimed filmmaker, writer and actor Taika Waititi on a bold creative collaboration designed to challenge the conventions of automotive marketing and launch the Zeekr 7X in an entirely new light.
The result is Spotlight, a campaign and public exhibition that makes Zeekr’s modernity and distinctiveness felt through storytelling and culture. Born from a simple product truth transformed into an ambitious creative platform.
Rather than relying on traditional automotive advertising tropes, Bastion and Waititi used the Zeekr 7X’s headlights as the sole light source to create seven original cinematic worlds, each expressing a different facet of the brand’s innovation, design, technology and performance.
Rather than simply placing the Zeekr 7X in front of the camera, Bastion and Waititi used the vehicle itself as the creative platform.
Spotlight comprises seven cinematic worlds conceived by Waititi, each illuminated entirely by the headlights of the Zeekr 7X.
Across the collection, the vehicle’s features and Zeekr’s broader brand characteristics are expressed through distinctive worlds rather than conventional automotive demonstrations. An alien visitation, warehouse rave, bodybuilder mid-pose, abundant feast, paparazzi frenzy and two sunbathers entirely unbothered by the spectacle around them each tell a different story while remaining connected by the same product at their centre.
The approach creates an opportunity to communicate key brand benefits in a way that feels more like culture and entertainment than advertising, using storytelling to make Zeekr’s innovation, design and performance felt rather than simply stated.
The production itself followed the same philosophy. In an era where AI can conjure almost anything, Waititi and his creative team physically built each scene. The Zeekr 7X was suspended from the ceiling of Studio West, the Auckland production facility co-owned by Waititi, allowing its headlights to be positioned and manipulated as the sole source of light shaping each image.
Oli Green, Chief Creative Officer at Bastion Aotearoa, said the creative opportunity was to take something fundamentally true about the product and see how far it could be pushed.
“The headlights became much more than a feature. They became the creative platform for the entire idea, enabling us to build seven completely different worlds around the Zeekr 7X. Bringing Taika in and giving him the freedom to push it further allowed the idea to evolve into something truly distinctive.”
Dane Fisher, Group General Manager at NordEast, New Zealand’s distributor for Zeekr, said the campaign reflects the strength of the partnership between Zeekr and Bastion Aotearoa.
“This has been a genuinely collaborative process between the Zeekr team, Taika and Bastion Aotearoa. From strategy and creative development through to PR strategy and the rollout of the public exhibition, the integrated agency team worked together to bring a highly ambitious idea to life.”
Cheuk Chiang, Group CEO of Bastion, said Spotlight demonstrates what is possible when ambitious brands, world-class creative talent and radical collaboration come together.
“Breaking category norms requires bravery from everyone involved. It takes a client willing to challenge expectations, creatives prepared to push a product truth somewhere unexpected, and genuine collaboration to bring the idea to life.”
Spotlight by Zeekr in collaboration with Taika Waititi runs from 17-20 September 2026 at Studio 230, Ponsonby, Auckland. The full collection will be available globally from 21 September 2026 at zeekrbytaika.com.
