Of the 10 most viewed SHOOT videos of 2017, eight were marked by humor, perhaps reflecting the need for comic relief during what many regard as serious, trying times for society at large.
Indeed the need to get away from it all was the theme driving the entry which generated the most views of 2017–Booking.com’s “Kindergarten” directed by Jared Hess of Community Films for Deutsch. In the spot, a beleaguered kindergarten teacher surrounded by classroom chaos talks of how she values her precious vacation time, which she gets the most out of thanks to Booking.com.
The second most viewed SHOOT video of 2017 yielded more comedy–Little Caesars’ “#1 Dad” directed by Mike Warzin of production house Arts & Sciences for agency Barton F. Graf, New York. In this commercial, a dad pays the price for not bringing home the Little Caesars “Extra Most Bestest” pizza which has the most cheese and pepperoni at an unbelievably low pricetag. Going to somewhere other than Little Caesars and paying more for less toppings is a big mistake. A father makes this mistake and as a result, his son demotes him, stripping the #1 off his cap. So the “#1 Dad” is demoted to just “Dad.”
The year’s #3 entry, Lexus’ “Man & Machine,” takes a break from comedy and moves into the visually driven, stylized arena compliments of director Jonas Akerlund via Serial Pictures for agency Team One. “Man & Machine” features dancer Lil Buck and the single from Sia titled “Move Your Body.” The spot parallels the relationship between the shapes and movements of the human form and the power and athleticism of Lexus’ most premium models. Minnie Driver debuts as the new voice of Lexus, introducing the new global tagline, “Experience Amazing.”
Finishing fourth and returning to the comedy discipline in SHOOT’s 2017 video derby was Nissan Titan trucks’ “No Lazy Horses” directed by the Traktor collective of production houses Supply & Demand and Traktor for TBWAChiatDay New York. When a guy’s truck conks out, he lifts up the hood to reveal how powerless his horsepower had made him. Under the hood are hybrid human/horse characters (actually folks in cheesy horse costumes) who are lazy and insist that in order to rev up they need the gent to sing a ridiculous “Pretty Pretty Pony” song and then accompany it with a dance. At the mercy of his “lazy horses,” the man sings and dances only to be seen by the driver of a Nissan Titan truck who stops to lend a hand, thus rescuing our song-and-dance man. TBWAChiatDay turned to humor in a product category not known for it. Titan disrupted the myth that to be a serious truck, you need serious advertising. Comedy appeals to the younger truck buyer–as does the Titan which sports a customer base that has tapped into the GenX demographic.
GEICO continues the laughter with the #5 entry, “Game Night” directed by Randy Krallman of Smuggler for The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va. In the piece, a neighborhood game night gets a little tense as people become a bit exasperated as they try to guess what a sloth is drawing (at a painfully slow pace). At the end of the ad, a spokesperson relates: “As long as sloths are slow, you can count on GEICO saving folks money.”
Taking sixth place was more comedy and another game, poker, in the form of a spot for cable provider Spectrum directed by David Shane of O Positive for agency Something Different. In the ad, four evil pals–Death, a Werewolf, a Mummy and a Mad Scientist–enjoy poker night at Demon’s house. We observe the monsters’ easy camaraderie until Werewolf asks Demon to pause the game so he can go outside. Unfortunately something unthinkably evil ensues—Demon’s DirecTV NOW can’t pause TV, like Spectrum can—and someone will have to pay. Titled “Poker,” the spot is part of a campaign that centers on gripes with satellite TV–like deceptive pricing, service interruptions and a lack of certain features–that fuel customer loathing.
Departing from the Top Ten humor norm is the seventh slot occupant, Lysol’s :60 “Protect like a mother,” in which human moms are replaced with animal counterparts who fiercely yet caringly protect children from everything ranging from the rain to being bullied to a potential traffic accident at a crosswalk. This served as the launch film for a Lysol campaign from McCann New York, SHOOT’s Agency of the Year. The platform is called “What It Takes To Protect” and celebrates the protective strength of parents, and the ways in which germ-killing Lysol is also there to help protect. Tom Routson of Framestore directed the spot which is the first of three from McCann NY in SHOOT’s Top Ten video viewing derby.
Back to comedy, taking eighth place was Huntington Bank’s “Toddler” directed by Kenny Herzog of O Positive for Arnold Worldwide. The ad introduces us to Stuart, an employee with a competitor band, who dons an offbeat costume (looking like a toddler who’s perched atop his Dad’s shoulders) to hide from customers seeking his financial advice. Stuart has an aversion to customer service–if he’s the one having to provide the service. He instead wants customers to use the apps his bank has made. A Huntington Bank representative runs into Stuart and says, “Money can be complicated, but at Huntington, we love answering questions.” Ultimately Stuart’s fake identity does not help him in this particular instance. A customer recognizes and confronts Stuart who then makes a break for it.
Finishing ninth and 10th in our video rundown are two more spots, both comedic, from McCann NY: Qualcomm’s “Bavarian Dance” directed by Lance Acord of Park Pictures; and New York Lottery’s “Bodega Cat” helmed by Jake Scott of RSA.
“Bavarian Dance,” a SHOOT Top Spot of the Week, settled into ninth place for 2017. This intentionally inane tongue-in-cheek ad–in which a man and his young sidekick break into Bavarian dancing in a backyard–is part of Qualcomm’s “Ignore This” campaign. The “Ignore This” premise is that a growing number of people don’t watch commercials during program breaks on TV. Instead, they’re likely on their smartphones to find something better to watch. But Qualcomm isn’t bothered a bit by this since it invented the technology that makes smartphones so indispensable. The company invented the “smart” behind the smartphone so no problem if you ignore its TV commercials.
And rounding out our Top Ten of most watched videos this past year is “Bodega Cat” promoting the New York Lotto’s Holiday Scratch-Off games. Featured in this commercial was one of those lovable and furry feline mascots/symbols of NY delis and corner stores. This particular Bodega Cat, named Cyrus, wants than to warm the heart of its store owner during the holidays. So the cat embarks on a long journey into the cold night and through a festive and snowy New York to deliver a little cheer in the most magical way possible.
Here’s a rundown of the 35 most viewed SHOOT videos of 2017 (click on title to view):
1. Jared Hess Directs "Kindergarten" For Booking.com, Deutsch
2. Mike Warzin Directs “#1 Dad” For Little Caesars, Barton F. Graf
3. Jonas Akerlund Directs Lexus’ “Man & Machine” Super Bowl Spot For Team One
4. Traktor Directs “No Lazy Horses” For Nissan TITAN, TBWAChiatDay NY
5. Randy Krallman Directs GEICO’s “Game Night” In “Sloth” Motion For The Martin Agency
6. David Shane Deals Comedy Hand In Spectrum’s “Poker” For Something Different
7. McCann NY, Framestore Call on Animal Kingdom For Lysol
8. Arnold Worldwide Dons “Toddler” Costume For Huntington Bank
9. Top Spot of the Week: Lance Acord Directs Qualcomm’s “Bavarian Dance” for McCann NY
10. RSA’s Jake Scott Directs “Bodega Cat” For New York Lotto, McCann NY
11. Director Aaron Stoller, Goodby Silverstein Create “Miracle of Life” for NFL Network
12. Top Spot of the Week: Mark Molloy Directs “Lost Panda” For Tile, Deutsch
13. Lance Acord Directs 100-Second Holiday Spot For Toyota, Saatchi LA
14. Kevin Thomas Directs “Half House” For Fios, McCann NY
15. Director Tom Kuntz, McCann NY Go “Medieval” For New York Lottery
16. Bryan Buckley Directs Verizon’s “Date Interrupted” In Spanish For the community
18. Top Spot of the Week: MailChimp’s “JailBlimp” Directed By The Sacred Egg For Droga5
19. Park Pictures’ Director Lance Acord, Deutsch Make “Rain” For VW
20. Seth Gordon Directs “Coach” For Southwest, GSD&M
21. Top Spot of the Week: m:united//McCann, Director JJ Adler, Microsoft Urge Girls To Stay In STEM
22. Clay Weiner Directs Will Ferrell At Family Dinner Table For Common Sense, GS&P
23. The Best Work You May Never See: Director Stash Capar Fashions Spec Spot For SpaceX
24. Top Spot of the Week: Publicis NY, Marcel Sydney Team On “The Pitch” For Creative Spirit
25. TBWANEBOKO Orchestrates Symphony For McDonald’s Customers
26. The Best Work You May Never See: Ron Foth Advertising Brings Generations Together For Columbus Zoo
27. RESET Director Ian Pons Jewell Depicts Grooming Nirvana For Dollar Shave Club
28. Director Henry-Alex Rubin, McCann NY Spin A Scary Halloween Tale For Verizon FIOS
29. Henry Mason Directs “Those Few People” for NESCAFE, Publicis
30. Writer/Director Joseph Kosinski, DP Claudio Miranda Team On “The Dig” For Sony’s VENICE Camera
31. Top Spot of the Week: Alison Klayman Directs Docu Short “Good Morning Peyton” For NORD
32. Bryan Buckley Directs Conan O’Brien In “Fight” Promo For Lineage II Revolution Video Game
33. Hungry Man’s Wayne McClammy Directs Boyz II Men For GEICO, Martin Agency
34. Director Wally Pfister, Cutters Deliver Pony Express For Blue Cross Blue Shield
35. Director David Shane, Something Different Take Monstrous “Train” Ride For Spectrum Cable
