High Five: Work That Lives in Your Head Rent-Free
Highlight five spots? Five spots from the last year? Five spots with jingles my kids can sing? After spending more time on this than intended, I ended up going with the five that continue to come up in campaign kickoffs and conversations. These five not only made me jealous the first time I saw them, but also envious every time I share them with someone else. They continue to live rent-free in my head years after their media budgets ran out. And after all, isn’t that the ultimate achievement?
Ragu - 'Long Day of Childhood'
Agency: BFG9000
Insight: I've worked in food advertising my entire career, but have never been more jealous of a spot that treated Ragu like a beer for kids - even down to the beer trope of a jar sliding on the counter and getting picked up by the kid. "A long day of childhood calls for America’s favourite pasta sauce". Fucking brilliant! And the song? So great. The Americana tune underscores nostalgia and simpler times - making the comedic twist all the more impactful.
Outpost.com - 'Gerbils'
Agency: Cliff Freeman & Partners
Comedy: Launched during the 1999 Super Bowl, this was right as I was getting into my career and became my north star during the formative years. So absurd. So simple. The comedic juxtaposition of the intellectual narrator in his study and the slapstick cannon is pure gold. Every detail is perfect - the squeaks, the sounds of the splat, and even the cannon guy wearing a three-piece business suit.
Hallmark Cards - 'Required Reading'
Agency: Leo Burnett Chicago
Production: Institute for the Development of Enhanced Perceptual Awareness
Director: David Harner
Storytelling: Let’s go from gerbils in cannons to the other side of the emotional pendulum - this Hallmark spot hits me every time. A longer story, it masterfully weaves the product into the back half. And I can’t imagine a better song choice than Alexi Murdoch’s 'Orange Sky'. The lyrics “In your love my salvation lies..." hitting right before the climax removes any remaining defence your dry eyes might still be upholding.
Honda - 'The Centaur'
Agency: DDB France
Production: Crac
Director: Alexander Kalchev
Audio / Edit: This was a promotional film for Honda, and the world’s biggest off-road motorbike race in France. Killer VO. Amazing edit that uses the music to punctuate the emotional surge. I’m sure it was shot on a measly budget, but it shows the power of great writing and great craft. I still get all the feels at the backend with the bells and the start of the race shot from above.
Sony Bravia - 'Balls'
Agency: Fallon
Production: MJZ
Director: Nicolai Fugslig
Simplicity: This is another spot that has lived rent-free in the corners of my brain for well over a decade. The simplicity of the Jose Gonzales’s 'Heartbeats' song pairs perfectly with the over cranked energy of colourful balls in San Francisco. Are ideas like this relics of a bygone era in our business? Let’s hope not.
