Renault 4 E-Tech Uses Tennis Claymation to Sell Its Sunroof

Renault UK marks the upcoming arrival of its electric vehicle with a tennis-inspired claymation.

Created by ad agency Publicis London, "The Sunroof Open" is a trio of films that connect the retractable canvas roof of the Renault 4 E-Tech with the sport.

Produced with MindsEye, the films used over 1,500 photos, 8kg of plasticine, and roughly 30 hours of animation to bring seven-inch-tall characters to life.

The work will run across the automaker's social media ahead of the Renault 4 E-Tech's September arrival in the U.K.

The team went with physical animation when easier options were available.

"We started with a simple, functional feature, the retractable roof, and asked how to turn it into content people would enjoy watching," Matthew Comras, creative director at Publicis London, said in a press release.

"You can feel the labour of love in every frame, which, in a world of AI-generated content, makes it feel much more human, more playful and more distinctive."

The promotional campaign gives a fresh way to showcase a product feature and stand apart through handcrafted execution.

Claymation Gives the Roof Its Own Story

The creative agency frames the sunroof through recognizable tennis situations that fans already associate with open and closed stadium roofs.

The stop-motion execution emphasizes craftsmanship, reinforcing the tactile quality of the Renault 4 E-Tech electric.

This creative choice also comes as brands continue to debate how handmade production compares with generative AI.

"The Renault 4 is a lovely, refined electric car, but its party trick is that you can rip the whole roof off and enjoy the sun.

And quickly whizz it back on when the UK weather resumes."

"Publicis London have dramatised this unique feature in a very clever and fun way," Lawrence Hamilton, head of marketing, communications, digital & CRM at Renault, shared.

The creative proves that a single product feature can sustain an entire campaign when it is presented well.

Handcrafted Work Still Wins

Pangram Labs and YouGov found that 69% of online users trust AI-generated content less than human-made work.

This distrust is exactly what Renault's obviously hand-built animation answers.

The Ehrenberg-Bass Institute also shows that distinctive brand assets improve recognition across buying situations.

Claymation gives Renault a look that competitors can't easily copy, which also makes the car easier to identify.

This Renault 4 campaign highlights how execution can become a competitive advantage.

• Craftsmanship creates credibility. Brands should use tangible creative processes to strengthen audience trust.
• Cultural familiarity speeds understanding. Marketers should connect product benefits to widely recognized behaviors to communicate ideas faster.
• Distinctive brand assets improve recall. Teams should consistently reinforce recognizable visual assets to increase brand recognition.

Choosing a slow, handmade build says Renault trusts the car to hold attention without a celebrity or a big visual effects budget.

Our Take: Does Tennis Make the Creative More Memorable?

The smartest thing about this campaign is that the material matches the metaphor.

And we think the tennis framing does make it stick, mostly because clay courts and Claymation share the same word and the same texture. 

The retractable roof gag is the obvious hook, but the clay pun is the part people will remember.

Most brands grab a cultural reference for their audience, then ignore whether it fits how the work is made.

Renault found a reference that matches its production method, and this alignment is what other marketers should hunt for.

Instacart made the same call with its 2025 holiday campaign, using Rankin/Bass-style stop-motion to give its routine service some handmade charm.

Looking to make a product feature more memorable?

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