Nov 25

Grey NY Introduces Yet Another Rob Lowe for DirecTV

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Grey New York has introduced yet another Rob Lowe in its ongoing campaign for DirecTV.

Following on the heels of “Painfully Awkward Rob Lowe,” which apparently drew some criticism from shy bladder sufferers, the agency has returned with the self-explanatory “Scrawny Arms Rob Lowe.” The formula is the same as in previous spots, with Rob Lowe introducing himself as a DirecTV customer before a more unfortunate version of himself, who also happens to be a cable customer, comes along for comparison. In the new spot Scrawny Arms Rob Lowe watches ping-pong on a small screen and attempts to open a jar of mayonnaise. Like previous ads, it ends with Lowe saying “Don’t be like this me.”

While it may be that the series is running out of steam, “Scrawny Arms Rob Lowe” just seems like the weakest of the bunch so far. Whereas “Super Creepy Rob Lowe” and “Painfully Awkward Rob Lowe” found convincing ways of tying Lowe’s alter egos to the inferior quality of cable, “Scrawny Arms Rob Lowe” feels like an empty gimmick. Let’s hope Grey can up the ante with the inevitable follow-up and recapture the potential of this campaign. (more…)

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Oct 17

Grey NY Gets Painfully Awkward with Rob Lowe for DirecTV

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Last month, Grey New York debuted a new campaign for DirecTV, introducing the world to Super Creepy Rob Lowe and Less Attractive Rob Lowe in the process. Now the agency is back with a follow-up effort, this time contrasting DirecTV spokesman Rob Lowe with cable subscriber Painfully Awkward Rob Lowe.

The new 30-second spot follows in the same cringe comedy formula as its predecessors. Like Less Attractive Rob Lowe, the new character has made some questionable choices about his appearance, including winged hair, a fanny pack and khakis hiked up to Urkel height. He also doesn’t do well around other people, as, after commenting that you have to wait forever for cable providers to show up he notes, “I hope it isn’t a girl…or a guy.”

With the success of the previous ads, it was only a matter of time before Grey rolled out a successor, and it looks like we can expect more from the campaign as well. According to Adweek, there are “at least two more spots from Grey New York” on the way, begging the question, which Rob Lowe will we see next? (more…)

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Sep 23

Grey NY Gets Creepy with Rob Lowe for DirecTV

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Grey New York has a new campaign for DirecTV, utilizing the services of Rob Lowe.

Lowe plays himself and “Creepy Rob Lowe” in the 30-second spot “Creepy.” Regular Lowe has DirecTV, while “Creepy Rob Lowe” has cable, which causes him to do creepy things like watch people swim at the rec center when his cable is out. While it’s a bit of a logical stretch, the character (complete with creepy facial hair) is kind of funny and a welcome change for the brand.

“Less Attractive” features a similarly-minded character, the schlubby, balding “Less Attractive Rob Lowe.” While not as funny as “Creepy” and even more nonsensical, it’s still entertaining to see Rob Lowe dressed up as a balding, paunchy version of himself. The format for the ads leaves itself open to plenty of possibilities with other celebrities in the future, so this could be a long-running campaign if it catches on. (more…)

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Aug 22

Verizon, mcgarrybowen Make It Easy to Find Lost Phones

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If you’ve already seen “Elysium,” “Kick-Ass 2,” or “2 Guns” and need to get a quick action fix, then you can always check out Verizon’s new thriller, “Catch Me If You Can.”  The plotting and scriptwriting is probably on par with regular films that fizz out in theaters, and this spot, which was created by mcgarrybowen, even has The Bourne Identity/Swingers/Mr. And Ms. Smith director Doug Liman behind the camera.

In the one-minute spot, an unnamed protagonist races to find his Droid phone after leaving it in a New York City cab. Making the stakes even higher, the cabbie drives like a typical cabbie, so the phone is sliding all over the place and smacking into windows. Luckily, Droid phones now have scratch-resistant glass. I don’t want to say anymore and spoil the ending, but as with most action movies, the hero gets the girl, or phone, or whatever object is the focus of the chase.

Credits after the jump.

continued…

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