Hasta La Creative!

Pitch created the first ever video ads for Citrix Sharefile in its new campaign for the secure file sharing and transfer service, with a series of spots featuring some rather unprofessional behavior.

In “Dr. Looselips,” which runs in both 15 and 30-second iterations, this comes in the form of a doctor who addresses his patients by their ailments. This is much to the chagrin of patients waiting to be seen for foot fungus and constipation, who reluctantly reply when the doctor calls them out of the waiting room. Other 15-second spots follow a similar formula with “The Tactless Attorney” and a businessman with a pen that doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. The takeaway comes in the form of the question, “You wouldn’t do business like this, why share file like this?” followed by a call to “make a professional impression” with the service. While unlikely to elicit any belly laughs, the attempts at humor are welcome for such a dry category, however their connection to the service’s benefits are illustrated better in some ads than others.

Credits:

AGENCY: PITCH
Chief Creative Officer: Xanthe Wells
President: Rachel Spiegelman
CFO/COO: Pej Sabet
Chief Strategy Officer: Sara Bamossy
Associate Creative Director: Brian Farkas
Associate Creative Director: Tylynne McCauley
Management Supervisor: Tyler Lesch
Jr. Strategist: Lexi Whelan

CLIENT:
Catherine Harrell – Director of Marketing
John Benson – Associate Creative Director
Hudson Haines – Creative Lead

PRODUCTION:
Production Company: Myriad Media
Director: Fabian Marquez
Producer: Shawn Lamons
Director of Photography: Kent Willard

Editor: Daniel Cook
Sound Design: Daniel Cook
Music: Daniel Cook
Colorist: Marshall Alderman

Camera Operator: Holt Menzies
Camera Operator: Rob Russell
Assistant Camera: Jon Pfundstein
Assistant Camera: Kyle Messina
Script Supervisor: Spike Hoban
Gaffer: Matt Hedt
Electrician: Ish Abdelkhalek
Key Grip: Walker Anderson
Grip: Tony Holderfield
Audio Technician: Brooks Lester
DIT/ 2nd AC: Sam Kim
PA: Chandler Cearley
PA: Kristen Riveria
Make up/Stylist: Amy Hendrix
Set Design: Sarah Costello (PropTarts, Inc.)
Set Design PA: Krystle Bugarin
Location Scout: Carlene Cearley

In what feels like a more redemptive version of Shark Tank, we have this pro-bono campaign from Pitch, the West Coast shop you know perhaps for its longstanding relationship with Burger King, Pepsi, Asics and more.

In its newest campaign, the agency gets philanthropic and turns its focus to more socially-conscious issues, namely homelessness and a downtown Los Angeles organization called the Weingart Center.

This short may look like a board meeting/presentation, but it turns into a pitch that transforms potential investors from cold to hot when their salesman of sorts suggests job placement for the homeless instead of just donating a buck or two. It’s apparently not fiction.

In a statement, Pitch President Rachel Spiegelman writes:

“The men and women who work at the Weingart Center are miracle workers. They help people truly in need re-enter society with hope and a plan. When you donate you give your money away, when you invest you get a return. That’s the core idea behind our campaign and behind the Weingart program. We’re honored to be working with them on this incredible cause.”

The campaign also includes a redesign of the Weingart site and a Twitter march with the hashtag #investinLA.

Culver City, CA-based Pitch has just launched an NCAA March Madness campaign for tournament sponsor Burger King, the agency’s first since taking over for Mother NY on BK general market duties in January (Pitch has been in charge of youth/family ad duties since 2010).

For the campaign, entitled “Watch Like A King,” Burger King and Pitch have teamed up with iconic Fab Five member, former NBA star and current NBA TV/TNT analyst Chris Webber, who stars in the Final Four 2 for $5 “Watch Like A King” spot. The 30 second spot sees a fan tell the guy in front of him in a Chris Webber jersey, “Seriously dude, we’re trying to watch the…” at which point Webber turns around and the man lets out a comical scream. Webber then asks him about his two sandwiches for five bucks from Burger King, and they work out a mutually beneficial agreement. The new spot, which unfortunately does not involve Webber attempting to call a timeout, will debut on March 16th. Webber will also be in attendance at the NCAA Men’s Final Four in Dallas cheering on participants of the Burger King-sponsored Kings of the Court 3-on-3 Tournament.

Meanwhile, from today through April 7th, fans can follow @BurgerKing on Twitter and tweet why they deserve to “Watch Like A King” and/or post a NCAA-themed photo with the hashtag #WatchLikeAKing for a chance to win a prize, including “$100 Burger King Crown Cards, mobile phone projectors, flat screen TVs, tickets to the NCAA Final Four and much more.”

“We know March Madness is about the fans, games and of course the student-athletes, so we’re celebrating by partnering with the NCAA to provide the fan base with a viewing experience fit for a king,” says Eric Hirschhorn, chief marketing officer, North America, Burger King Worldwide.

In addition to television and social media, Pitch’s “Watch Like  A King” campaign will also feature experiential elements, details of which have yet to be released (but according to the credits you can expect “Throne Installation” and “Crown Headbands,” so that should give you some idea). Stick around for those credits after the jump. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

I have been writing on a freelance basis and have gotten to sit in on some rather interesting meetings with clients. I am no stranger to client meetings – I have successfully pitched multi-million dollar campaigns to clients, but nothing prepared me for what I saw this week when I sat in on a pitch meeting.

The meeting was between a small Internet development company and a business coach. Being the web company’s writing consultant, they thought I could lend some credibility to the subject of blogging, so I went, hoping that I could add some value to what was sure to be a mind-blowing session. Instead, the meeting was overtaken by the SEO expert, who was as loud as he was pushy. Horrified, I watched the client’s head practically spin as the SEO guy argued that what the client wanted was absolutely wrong.

Admittedly, I am a stickler for etiquette, but I also feel that there is a fine line between assertive and rude. So, as a public service, here a list of how to hold a pitch meeting without scaring away your client.

• Keep the pressure and drama to a minimum. Let’s remember that the clients are always right, even if you don’t agree. Why? They’re paying you.
• Keep the geek-speak to a minimum. Yes, this means to keep the tech guy as far away from the clients as possible, unless the clients are into that sort of thing. The clients don’t really need to know the technicalities of what you do and why, unless they specifically ask. They’re experts at what they do, which is why they pay you to do what you do.
• Keep it friendly. You can’t go wrong with a meeting over coffee or lunch. The clients’ defenses will be down and everyone involved will be in a good mood.
• Do your homework before the client arrives. Sure, it’s cute to ask what the clients have implemented in the past and why it didn’t work, but don’t you think they will see through that and wonder why you’re not better prepared? Respect your clients’ time.
• Learn to think like a CEO. You’re asking the clients to make one hell of an investment, so learn to speak their language. Sell your work using a business case rather than a creative argument.
• Admit when you don’t know all the answers. Clients are more likely to hire the agencies that say, “We have the people that will help you figure out the solutions,” rather than those who say, “Here’s what wrong with you. Let’s fix it.”

Sara Barton is a copywriter, social media strategist, and avid blogger who is in search of her next opportunity. Contact her via twitter, LinkedIn, or her blog.