One of my favorite campaigns of all time was a long-running series of television ads for Holiday Inn that featured a 30-something loser named Mark who lived with his parents and grandmother. Instead of getting a job, he kept trying to get perks, rewards and whatnot that prompted one of his cohabitants to query, “What do you think this is, a Holiday Inn?”
It was a true one-joke campaign. And – thanks to writing, production and acting that kept things fresh – it worked brilliantly. Sure, you always knew how the spot would end it, but getting there was all the fun.
Here’s a sample for those without a keen memory for ad randomness:
You don’t see a lot of campaigns like this. People talk about an idea having legs – the ability to keep going for several executions, months, years, whatever. And that usually means the campaign evolves over time. And, usually, that each spot has a slightly different message. Maybe a different feature. Or, if it’s the same feature, a different setup each time.
But to basically have the exact same shtick with the exact same beats every time? P’shaw! In fact, I can only think of three campaigns since that have tried this tactic. And the only one to come close to reaching Holiday Inn’s level of sublimity? AT&T’s current campaign for their FamilyTalk plan with Rollover.
I’ve been waiting several months to review this campaign for one reason: To see if they – like Holiday Inn before them – could keep it up. When I first saw the campaign, I immediately thought, “Why haven’t they done this before?” The unused-minutes-as-a-physical-object ploy seems obvious. But then, so do a lot of great ideas in retrospect.
This campaign uses the exact same setup and payoff every time. The exasperated mother catches one of her sons or husband getting rid of their unused AT&T wireless minutes. The guilty party protests that the minutes are old, some even several months old. Mom explains their still good. The kid (or dad) still doesn’t quite seem to grasp it.
The spots are written with just the right amount of bite and dexterous wordplay to keep them interesting. And the casting is great. But why read about them when you can watch?
Despite my mad Google skills, I was unable to find credits for this campaign. So if you have them, pass them along, please.
And I hope Mark is enjoying these from the comfort of his Holiday Inn bed.
Later,
Fox
Update:
Thanks to Roy Elvove at BBDO, I now have the full credits for the “Milky Minutes” spot above:
Agency: BBDO New York, BBDO Atlanta
Chief Creative Officers: David Lubars, Bill Bruce
Exec. Creative Director: Susan Credle
Creative Directors: Darren Wright, Dave Skinner
Copywriters: Peter Alsante
Art Directors: Tony Bennett, Carlo Barreto
Sr. Producer: Julie Andariese
Production Company Moxie Pictures
Director: Frank Todaro
Director of Photography: Mott Hupfel
Post Production: Cosmo Street
Editor: Jason MacDonald
FX/SFX Company: Bryce Edwards / Spontaneous
It was a true one-joke campaign. And – thanks to writing, production and acting that kept things fresh – it worked brilliantly. Sure, you always knew how the spot would end it, but getting there was all the fun.
Here’s a sample for those without a keen memory for ad randomness:
You don’t see a lot of campaigns like this. People talk about an idea having legs – the ability to keep going for several executions, months, years, whatever. And that usually means the campaign evolves over time. And, usually, that each spot has a slightly different message. Maybe a different feature. Or, if it’s the same feature, a different setup each time.
But to basically have the exact same shtick with the exact same beats every time? P’shaw! In fact, I can only think of three campaigns since that have tried this tactic. And the only one to come close to reaching Holiday Inn’s level of sublimity? AT&T’s current campaign for their FamilyTalk plan with Rollover.
I’ve been waiting several months to review this campaign for one reason: To see if they – like Holiday Inn before them – could keep it up. When I first saw the campaign, I immediately thought, “Why haven’t they done this before?” The unused-minutes-as-a-physical-object ploy seems obvious. But then, so do a lot of great ideas in retrospect.
This campaign uses the exact same setup and payoff every time. The exasperated mother catches one of her sons or husband getting rid of their unused AT&T wireless minutes. The guilty party protests that the minutes are old, some even several months old. Mom explains their still good. The kid (or dad) still doesn’t quite seem to grasp it.
The spots are written with just the right amount of bite and dexterous wordplay to keep them interesting. And the casting is great. But why read about them when you can watch?
Despite my mad Google skills, I was unable to find credits for this campaign. So if you have them, pass them along, please.
And I hope Mark is enjoying these from the comfort of his Holiday Inn bed.
Later,
Fox
Update:
Thanks to Roy Elvove at BBDO, I now have the full credits for the “Milky Minutes” spot above:
Agency: BBDO New York, BBDO Atlanta
Chief Creative Officers: David Lubars, Bill Bruce
Exec. Creative Director: Susan Credle
Creative Directors: Darren Wright, Dave Skinner
Copywriters: Peter Alsante
Art Directors: Tony Bennett, Carlo Barreto
Sr. Producer: Julie Andariese
Production Company Moxie Pictures
Director: Frank Todaro
Director of Photography: Mott Hupfel
Post Production: Cosmo Street
Editor: Jason MacDonald
FX/SFX Company: Bryce Edwards / Spontaneous
And here I thought I was the only one that actually likes these commercials! I think the idea is simple but clear, and despite the fact that the joke is the same every time, I still think it’s funny when they try to ‘save’ the minutes. Good casting is probably what saves these commercials, since the joke is only funny thanks to the delivery.
Wow! Thanks for the kind words.
The Family Talk Rollover campaign was created by BBDO New York and BBDO Atlanta. Below is a list of creative credits for the specific commercial titled “Milky Minutes”
Agency: BBDO New York, BBDO Atlanta
Chief Creative Officers: David Lubars, Bill Bruce
Exec. Creative Director: Susan Credle
Creative Directors: Darren Wright, Dave Skinner
Copywriters: Peter Alsante
Art Directors: Tony Bennett, Carlo Barreto
Sr. Producer: Julie Andariese
Production Company Moxie Pictures
Director: Frank Todaro
Director of Photography: Mott Hupfel
Post Production: Cosmo Street
Editor: Jason MacDonald
FX/SFX Company: Bryce Edwards / Spontaneous
Hope this helps.
Roy Elvove
Director, Corporate Communications
BBDO New York and BBDO North America
Thanks for the info, Roy. I’ll add it to the post.
Thank you for bringing Mark back…I had forgotten about him…loved Grandma. Yes, AT&T has indeed done a good job with this campaign. Great comparison here.
I just discovered that “Mark” is portrayed by Ross Brockley who, when not performing standup or acting, owns a llama farm outside Lincoln, Nebraska. Awesome. http://www.brockleyfarm.blogspot.com/
Cory OBrien,you are no lonely.I likes these commercials as well.lol
I think the Holiday Inn is way better than At & t. The holiday Inn uses their name in a subtle way where as the At&t blatantly pushes various product names etc.
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