Hasta La Creative!

With August here, Chandelier Creative launched its back-to-school campaign for Old Navy.

Chandelier has previously worked with Amy Poehler and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Amy Schumer is the latest female comedian representing the brand.  (Carrie Brownstein also appeared alongside her Portlandia co-star Fred Armisen in Chandelier’s holiday campaign for the brand.)

Schumer, who’s really raking in the ad money these days between this and her appearances in W+K’s Bud Light campaign with Seth Rogen, is “roped into spending the day” with her sister’s kids in the ad.

So she calls a kid named Thomas, who she calls frequently for some reason. He informs her “back-to-school is like our red carpet” and that she should go to Old Navy, which is “what we all wear,” for up to 60 percent off on clothes for the season.

On her way to the store, Schumer declares herself “the best aunt in the world.”

In addition to the full-length, 60-second digital version above, the ad will also appear on broadcast in 30 and 15-second versions sure to dampen the spirits of children on summer break. We’re told the spot also features “young influencers” with strong social media followings such as Thomas Barbusca, Laneya Grace, Skai Jackson and Hayden Summerall, but we have no idea who any of them are because we’re not 14 years old.

The spot follows a familiar formula, relying on its celebrity comedian’s presence and ending with a run to the store. That run is a bit more convincing than usual, as Schumer does a pretty good job selling the idea that she really wants to get those kids out of her apartment. 

Credits:
Client: Old Navy
Agency: Chandelier Creative
Creative Director: Lena Kuffner
Creative Director: Richard Christiansen
Executive Producer: Sara Fisher
Account Director: Eileen Eastburn

Producer: Gulshan Jaffery
Production Coordinator: Camilla Rothenberg
Production Company: Hungry Man
Director: Wayne McClammy
Executive Producers: Mino Jarjoura, Dan Duffy
Line Producer: Dave Bernstein
Director of Photography: Dion Beebe

Editorial: Rock Paper Scissors
Editor: Christjan Jordan
Executive Producer: Helena Lee

Telecine: Color Collective
Colorist: Alex Bickel
Executive Producer: Claudia Guevara

Audio Post: Sonic Union
Mixer: Mike Marinelli

Finishing: MPC NY
Executive Producer: Camila De Biaggi
Finishing Producer: Brendan Kahn

NBC’s Parks and Recreation will soon come to an end, and the writers of the heartwarming, droll comedy have been knocking it out of the … well, park.

The first of last night’s two episodes featured Chris Pratt’s character Andy Dwyer saying goodbye to his kids’ program, Johnny Karate’s Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show. By using the bottle episode format, we got a glimpse at what fictional Indiana town Pawnee’s advertising might look like. 

Because this season of the show takes place in the near future, 2017, they can satirize what American companies Verizon, Chipotle and Exxon might be doing. 

But the earnest, well-intentioned messaging of the combined companies—one of “America’s eight companies”—is just the beginning.

 
Fast-food chain Paunch Burger—a stand-in for the McDonald’s, Burger King, Carl’s Jr. and Wendy’s of the world—practically bullies its customers into eating. 

 
Of course, we also got an ad from the Wamapoke Tribe, which shameless uses its heritage to get people to its casino. 

 
And we got to see Nick Offerman’s, er, Ron Swanson’s version of advertising, too, which you can probably guess is minimal and straight to the point. 

Amy Poehler and Chandelier Creative with a new spot that sees the Parks and Rec star hosting a spelling bee.

“Spell Me This” begins with Poehler delivering the throwaway, “I’m sorry Nathan, there are no numbers in the word ‘important,’ ” and, unfortunately, it all goes downhill from there. The spot, like others in the campaign, ends with Poehler (and in this case the entire auditorium) running to Old Navy for a sale. It’s all pretty frustrating, as the scenario and Poehler’s involvement make for a lot of unfulfilled potential. Stick around after the jump for outtakes, which are at least slightly more entertaining than “Spell Me This” itself. (more…)

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Amy Poehler is back to grilling strangers about their Old Navy outfits.

Last month, she played a high-powered lawyer questioning a job applicant about her checkered pants. Here, she plays a server at a fast-food burrito joint, pressing a customer about a red dress.

It's not easy to dissociate Old Navy's Poehler from her intense part as Leslie Knope on Parks and Recreation, but still fun to see the rapid-fire style translated to roles outside of a small-town middle-America bureaucracy. Like the law firm ad, the outtakes for the fast-food commercial include some added gems—including the evergreen gift of watching a usually deadpan comic lose it and crack up midtake.

That's assuming viewers don't run out to buy clothes before the video's done.

Agency: Chandelier Creative.

Well, the three-year relationship between Denny’s and IPG-owned, New York-based agency Gotham has come to an end. In a pretty self-explanatory statement, Frances Allen, chief brand officer for the 60-year-old diner/casual restaurant chain, says:

“We are very grateful to Gotham. ‘America’s Diner is Always Open’ has reconnected with consumers across America, earning us both an Effie and a Cannes Lion award in the process. We are enormously proud of that work and are thankful to Gotham for their dedication and partnership over the last 3 years.

All businesses evolve, and Denny’s is no different. Over the last four years we have developed a strong relationship with Erwin Penland through their work on various aspects of our business, and we believe that their ever expanding expertise and unique understanding of the Denny’s brand makes them the right fit as our agency of record going forward. With Erwin Penland we see the opportunity to both consolidate our business for efficiency and enhance our united national and local marketing and advertising efforts, while upholding the high creative standards that have been set by Gotham.”

Gotham initially beat out Erwin Penland (as well as BBDO and KBS+) back in August 2010 for the Denny’s duties, though EP continued partnering with the brand for menus, merchandising and local support. Erwin Penland will now handle both creative and media. As for Gotham, perhaps the agency’s most notable work for Denny’s, from our perspective at least, was the “Always Open” series hosted by David Koechner and featuring a host of famous folks including Jessica Biel, Jason Bateman, Sarah Silverman, Amy Poehler and Will Arnett. You can check out the Poehler clip after the jump if you’d like.

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