Broadcast
Duraflame Quick Coals “Fast Food” :30 TV Spot
When Duraflame tapped our team to develop a TV spot for their new fast-lighting charcoal product, Quick Coals, they only had two requirements: The spot had to star their sponsored NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, who was leading the chase for the Nextel Cup at the time; and we had to incorporate their custom promotional car that featured a fold-out grill built into the trunk.
As the name suggests, the defining benefit of Duraflame Quick Coals is speed. Just light the bag, and the coals are ready to cook in 2-3 minutes—far faster than competing “light-the-bag” charcoal products. And in NASCAR, speed is everything, particularly during pit stops.
Given that hook, this concept practically wrote itself. But to ensure that the spot reflected an authenticity that would resonate with NASCAR fans, I dug into the history and culture of stock car racing, which is rich with “cheats” and other subtle tricks that mechanics and drivers employ to gain an advantage. I also listened to recordings of Greg Biffle talking to his pit crew during races, discussing modifications he wanted them to make during upcoming pit stops.
So the first line of the spot, “Alright I’m comin’ in, I want a quarter-pound up front, with the works!” alludes to an additional quarter-pound of air pressure in the front tires — the kind of detailed tweak that drivers ask for frequently during a race. But obviously, the request has a coded double meaning—possibly referring to a little mechanical trickery—as indicated by Biffle asking for “the works.” That’s the kind of detail that only true NASCAR fans would pick up on, and hopefully it helped the spot connect with them at a deeper, “geekier” level.
Beyond those subtleties, I wanted this spot to capture the orchestrated chaos of NASCAR pit stop, to give the viewer a sense of what it’s like to be on pit row during a race. The rapid-cut editing, hand-held camera work, conspicuous sound effects and upbeat, guitar-driven soundtrack all worked together to achieve that effect. We also had the good fortune of working with the actual Duraflame racing pit crew, as well as the folks from NASCAR Films, whose experience and professionalism were key to making the spot work.
I both wrote and co-directed this spot.
Allied Van Lines “Whatever Moves You” :30 TV / Web Pre-Roll Spot
Allied Van Lines is well-known for their big orange trucks, and for their industry leadership in state-to-state moves. However, as the U.S. housing market declined over the past few years, so did Allied’s business.
To help them tap a larger share of the moving market, and to counter the common perception that Allied only did “big” moves, they asked our team to help refresh their brand to portray a more flexible, value-oriented positioning. They wanted to spread the message that Allied could handle any type of move, big or small, at a price that compared favorably to “DIY” moving.
We developed a complete integrated campaign to support their new branding, including video, radio, print, OOH, and banner ads. Allied provided all the components to its independent agents as an a la carte library of customizable creative assets, tailored for each local market.
This spot was used for both television and web pre-roll.
See all the creative assets from the Allied “Whatever Moves You” campaign.
Solarus Communications “Ask Your Doctor” :60 Radio Spot
I love writing radio because it’s both uniquely challenging and creatively liberating. Without the luxury of supporting visuals, radio challenges a writer to capture the imagination of listeners and paint a picture in their minds using nothing more than spoken words and sound effects. Some writers may find that limiting, but I see it as a license to push the envelope.
I think this spot is a great example of how much fun a writer can have working in this supposedly dying medium.
Solarus Communications is an independent phone and internet provider in Wisconsin. Their brand identity is somewhat quirky and off-beat. They also leverage their local Wisconsin roots heavily against “outside” competitors like Time Warner.
Solarus asked for a humorous spot to promote their broadband bundle — one that would stand out from the typical drab fare you normally hear on rural radio stations.
Drawing inspiration from the client’s unusual name, and from those ubiquitous “men’s pharmaceutical” ads that have, er — popped up in recent years, I developed this script along with two other “safer” concepts, fully expecting the client to reject it. But to my surprise, they went with it. And I’m so glad they did.