20 Years Before It Was Cool to Cast Gay Couples, Ikea Made This Pioneering Ad

The mini-wave of brands casting gay couples in TV ads this year continues to rise, with the likes of Honey Maid, Cheerios, and DirecTV all diving in. More power to them. But Ikea was the first marketer to feature a gay couple in a mainstream commercial. Twenty years ago.

The 1994 spot below, from Deutsch, ran after 10 p.m. in three markets where Ikea then had a significant presence: New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. The late-night airing ensured that the ad wouldn’t be seen during “family hour” programming. That concession, however, did little to quell the objections of the American Family Association and its leader, the Rev. Donald Wildmon.

Wildmon called for boycotts of Ikea stores, one of which, on Long Island, was the target of a bomb threat, which turned out to be unfounded. The retailer, however, continued to air the ad, which was part of a lifestyle campaign featuring different types of consumers (a divorced mom, adopting parents, empty nesters, etc.) that began in 1993.

The creative team behind “Dining Room,” including creative director Greg DiNoto, associate cd Kathy Delaney, copywriter Dallas Itzen and art director Patrick O’Neill, are no longer at Deutsch. But O’Neill, who later worked at TBWAChiatDay and now is chief creative officer at blood testing company Theranos, shared his memories of helping to create something that didn’t win awards but was truly groundbreaking.

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AdFreak: Where did the idea for “Dining Room” come from?
Patrick O’Neill: We would base a lot of our stories on the real people we would see. We’d go to the New Jersey store—in Elizabeth—and because [the ads] were based on real people, we would watch, observe and see how people use the product, who they were, what kinds of things they were buying. And we’d figure which stores were the best ones. And there were a lot of gay couples there. We thought, Why don’t we do one? Donny [Deutsch] thought it was a great idea and felt like it was a true representation of Ikea’s values, which is they’re always accepting of everyone.

So, that store was like your focus group or idea center?
It was. And we figured out where life intersected with furniture. … You had to understand what was going on in the culture at that time, I thought, versus just doing [ads] in a sort of timeless manner. Divorcees still go there, that kid still gets adopted, and gay couples still go there, you know [laughs]. It just wasn’t a typical depiction in media.

What was the shoot like?
A lot of the grips and all the people that were working on the set—you could feel that there was a lot of tension in the air because it was so unusual to see.

Did you shoot it at the store?
Yes.

Who was the director?
Paul Goldman. He had just started directing. [At Deutsch] he worked on the original “It’s a big country. Someone’s got to furnish it” campaign that was the year before.

How nervous was Ikea going into this?
They believed in it from the beginning. They were never nervous about it.

Did you have to test it?
No.

Did you think at the time that more people would follow in the footsteps of that ad?
I did.

Why didn’t that happen?
It’s interesting. I think the reason why people remember the ad was because it was done in a way where it was, “Wow, they really did it.” We weren’t mucking around. It was clear what was going on. And there were bomb threats. There was backlash. There were New York op-eds written about it. I mean, there were all kinds of things happening. In the years that followed—not too long after—Ellen [DeGeneres], she came out. Melissa Etheridge came out. A lot of women came out at the time. So, I think the culture started doing it without it being commercials. But as far as brands, I think they were nervous about it.

Does the groundswell we’re seeing now reflect what’s going on with state marriage laws?
Yeah. I think it’s also that the millennials and younger are very accepting of [gay] marriage. When that is legitimized by a large core of consumers, you can have that in communications because the approval rating for that is much, much higher once you get to a certain age group.

Would a different creative team have done the same thing?
No. … Look, the way we cast, and had them speak about their relationship, and the premise—it was all based on real stuff. I think the reason it turned out the way it did was all those people working together on it. We knew gay people, and I felt like the lone representative [laughs]. I felt a lot of responsibility making sure I didn’t let my people down.

How proud are you of this, ultimately, and is it still up there in your top three ads?
Well, I’m proud of it because it was the first one. It was scary in some ways. Everyone was true to the period, but there was no precedent. And it wasn’t a welcoming environment. So, that part of it makes me proud and happy to be part of.



Deutsch NY Launches ‘Mob City’ Script on Twitter for TNT ‘Adaptweetion’

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Deutsch NY and TNT are using Mob City‘s Twitter handle, @MobCityTNT, to debut the screenplay of the series’ premiere, 140 characters at a time. This will make Mob City, “the first television screenplay ever to be adapted for, and published through, Twitter.” They’ve dubbed the process “adaptweetion.”

The first tweets of the Mob City screenplay were made on Monday, with new tweets appearing every 45 minutes between 10 AM and 7 PM (and later tonight). They’ve also taken advantage of Twitter Cards to inject photo and video footage into the stream. Those late to the game can also catch up by visiting the microsite for the script, where it is presented in chronological order. This all leads to the debut of Frank Darabont‘s three week television event this tonight at 9. Deutsch NY and TNT will make their last tweet tonight at 8:30, but they’re not giving everything away. To experience the final scene, you’ll have to turn in to TNT tonight at 9 and catch the episode. The cast and crew of the show — including @frankdarabont@miloventimiglia@simonpegg@edward_burns@jonnybernthal – also added their commentary to the feed to keep things interesting.

Tweeting (almost) the entire screenplay of a debut episode is a risky move, but it’s a good way to get people talking about the show before it even airs.“Today, fans are tweeting in real time with their favorite shows, and we wanted to stoke preshow chatter by providing fans with an experience that will invite them in before the show even airs,” explains Kerry Keenan, Deutsch NY’s chief creative officer.

Clearly, TNT is betting that the writing will suck you in and make you want to watch Mob City tonight. Leaving out the final scene is an obvious necessity, as some might wonder why they’d tune in to see a premiere when they know how it ends. I’m curious to see how this plays out, and what kind of effect this social campaign has on Mob City‘s ratings tonight, if any. Head on over to mobscript.com and @MobCityTNT, and let us know your thoughts on this campaign in the comments section. And tune in to TNT tonight at 9 for the show, if you’re interested. Credits after the jump. continued…

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Holiday Season Ushers in Another Xmas Price Index from Deutsch NY, PNC


 

With Thanksgiving over (and  Hanukkah currently underway), the 2013 winter holiday season is upon us, and with it comes Deutsch NY’s annual Christmas Price Index for PNC. In case you don’t know, the Christmas Price Index shows the actual cost of all the gifts mentioned in the ubiquitous (and somewhat annoying) carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

For the Christmas Price Index’s 30th anniversary this year, Deutsch NY decided to offer up something a little different. Visitors to the PNC Christmas Price Index website will be given the opportunity to digitally build and customize their own versions of the gifts from the carol. The 3-D Gift Maker features twelve toys with customizable accessories, all designed by Invisible Creature. Visitors to the site will be given the opportunity to win “24 3-D custom designed toys over the course of 12 days.” If this sounds exciting to you, you better get started, as the contest only lasts until December 13th.

As for the actual index itself, 2013 shows a 7.7% increase from last year, with the current cost of Christmas listed as $27,393.17. That would be the cost of one verse of the song, but since the song has many repetitions the “True Cost of Christmas” (counting each repetition) comes out to $114,651.18. There’s good news for fans of partridges and/or pear trees, however: the cost of a partridge in a pear tree is now $199.99, down 2.4% from last year. So buy now. It’s not a good year to be in the market for nine ladies dancing however, as the current cost is $7552.84, up a full 20% from last year. That cash in your pocket just doesn’t buy as many pipers piping as it used to. Check out a couple of stills, along with credits,after the jump. continued…

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Greg DiNoto Out, Kerry Keenan In as Deutsch CCO

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We’ve been getting tips all morning and now have confirmation that Deutsch partner/CCO Greg DiNoto is no longer with the agency. Taking over his position is Kerry Keenan, whom Deutsch is hiring away from her own agency, Half Irish, which she co-founded earlier this year after leaving the global ECD role at Y&R. Here’s a note from Deutsch on the switch:

Deutsch New York CEO Val DiFebo announced today that Kerry Keenan has been hired as CCO/Partner. “Kerry is a live wire: she is a source of inspiration, sharp and passionate about this business and has an adventurist spirit. We believe Kerry will be a strong addition to the team,” noted DiFebo. Here’s more of the note:

Keenan has built a reputation for creating innovative work that crosses and combines all mediums and connects with consumers. During her career she has specialized in creating and producing high profile branded content, including: producing Y’all vs Us: Head to Head, a docu-drama series distributed nationally by Fox Sports Net for Cellular South, staging a major mock protest for client Ikea that went viral, creating an invisible pop up store for Airwalk, and developing a series of shorts for MTV2 called Maturity is Overrated.  Her work on numerous blue chip businesses have earned quite a bit of attention and hardware including:  Gold Cannes Lions, D&AD Pencils, Gold Andy¹s, Gold One Show Pencils, Webby’s, AICP Best of Show and others.

“I have always admired Deutsch’s distinct and entrepreneurial culture. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Val who has been able to do what few others have keep all agency offerings under one roof, allowing one team to solve problems together and generate the best ideas together,” said Keenan. “The partners are a group of smart, fun, and super passionate people who genuinely like each other and will roll up their sleeves and push each other to make the work great. I can’t wait to be a part of it.”

“Kerry has a fresh, collaborative grass roots approach to unearthing big, high profile creative ideas,” said DiFebo. “A highly regarded and respected creative, Kerry has what it takes to create a groundswell of growth and brand building work for our clients.”

Keenan takes over the CCO position from Greg DiNoto. “Greg has been a great contributor in both tours of duty at Deutsch and we fully support and wish
him great success in his next chapter,” said DiFebo. Keenan will join the agency on September 30th.

No word yet on where DiNoto’s heading, but we’ll let you know when we find out.

 

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GoDaddy Finally Moves Away from Douchebag Ads with ‘TMI’

About a year ago, GoDaddy hired Deutsch New York as their creative agency, and the world wondered whether we’d see the end of the “GoDaddy Girls” gimmick, or even the beginning of a more nuanced campaign. Instead, during this year’s Super Bowl, GoDaddy offered us Bar Rafaeli (“sexy”) making out with a red-faced man named Walter (“smart”). Danica Patrick narrated and did her best not to look embarrassed. Our op-ed contributor at the time, WWD&S co-head Harry Woods, may have captured the most accurate reaction: “The whole ugly thing once again sent us reaching for a wing bone, nacho or beer bottle cap to dig our eyes out.”

Thankfully no eyeball gouging is necessary with GoDaddy’s latest spot. In it, a Ron Weasley-esque man is introduced to the GoDaddy team. His name and its closest iterations are already taken by his colleagues, so the team tosses around other possibilities. Anyone who’s thought about buying a domain name is familiar with this brainstorming process, and Deutsch did well personifying it. The whole thing is off-kilter and amusing, and finally we see Danica Patrick in racing gear, not heels. She’s still hot.

Here’s hoping GoDaddy continues the curve away from their signature blunt, sensationalist spots.

Credits after the jump. [Ed: Welcome back, Ella]

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