Freezin’ for a Reason :30 Spot – Final Draft

I added some more detail in the final draft, and kept the “typical” beach scenes all completely close up. The addition of a character to “stop the action” has also been added to connect the two distinct parts of the spot together.

 

The creative concept of this 30 second commercial is to give viewers a sense of being at the beach on a typical sunny day, but things aren’t what they seem. The scenery will be iconic to the Seaside Heights, NJ boardwalk, which is where the Polar Plunge takes place. The first part of the commercial establishes the scene as that of a crowded beach on what the viewer assumes is a typical sunny, summer day. The sounds of a typical day at the beach blend together from shot to shot and are paired with upbeat music. The quick shots of “typical” beach scenes set the stage, but don’t give the viewer a solid shot of anyone person in particular. There are subtle, “subliminal” messages in the scenes in the form of strategic logo placement (the Plunge and Special Olympics New Jersey logos).

Suddenly we see the “typical” action on the beach come to a complete stop as a beach-goer sounds an air horn. It’s clearly a cue for everyone to STOP and prepare for something. An announcer starts to countdown as techno music starts to play. A closer look at the scene shows the beach scene isn’t so typical after all…many people are in costume and everyone is clearly very, very cold. It’s winter! Two onlookers witness the action while bundled up in winter gear. They are inspired by the fun and decide to run into the water too. The spot ends with a tag of the Polar Plunge logo, the Special Olympics New Jersey logo and the phrase, “Get Freezin’ for a Reason” and the date of the event, along with a basic voice over call to action. The event website is listed at the bottom of the screen.

	Video	Audio
1	CU of a group of feet in the sand on what is clearly a sunny day. Three sets of feet are visible and moving as if to show that the individuals are happily chatting with one another while sitting in the sand.	Fun, upbeat instrumental track plays in the background. The sound of laughter coming from this group of friends. Waves crashing, the buzz of the beach.
2	CU of a pair hands building a sandcastle. The cup being used to make the mold in the sand subtly has the Polar Plunge logo on it.	More distant laughter and the sound of waves crashing.
3	CU from behind of three people happily playing volleyball on the sand. The volleyball has a Special Olympics New Jersey logo on it, but is not blatantly obvious. The ocean can be seen over their shoulders, through the volleyball net.	Laughter, the sound of a volleyball being hit, waves crashing.
4	CU of legs on a beach towel. Part of the Polar Plunge logo is subtly visible on the towel. The legs of the sunbather cross and uncross. The ocean can be seen in the background – the shot is taken from the perspective of the sunbather.	Waves crashing, distant sounds of laughter.
5	CU from behind a group of friends on the Seaside Boardwalk. Over the shoulder shot as they walk on the boardwalk in the direction of the ocean. The boardwalk is packed with people.	Arcade sounds, the muffled sound of chatter from restaurants, the clicks of glasses.
6	CU of an open cooler and beach umbrella in the sand. A packed beach can be seen in the background. The beach umbrella has a pattern of Special Olympics New Jersey logos.	The hum of a busy beach, crashing waves.
7	CU of a beach-goer in sunglasses, smiling and looking in the direction of the water. A crowd is clearly visible, but blurry, behind him. Suddenly, he holds up an air horn and presses the button, causing everyone on the beach to stop, and look in his direction, ready for some sort of action.	The loud sound of an air horn.
8	WS view from the ocean looking toward the beach, as if the camera is on a boat just off shore.   The giant crowd on the beach has suddenly stopped moving. Everyone is looking in the direction of the camera.	The beach sounds have stopped, the upbeat music is silenced. The sound of the air horn in heard in the distance. Water lapping against the boat.
9	A tight pan of the entire crowd – they are clearly all looking toward the water, and the viewer can see the breath of everyone on the beach. Several individuals are dressed in costume (an Elvis, a group of women in tutus, super heroes). Many are clearly shivering, teeth chattering.	A voice comes over a loud speaker: THREE, TWO, ONE… Cue the techno rock fast paced music.
10	WS of the crowd running directly into the water, en masse.	Loudspeaker: PLUNGE!!!!! The cheers and yells of joy and heard coming from everyone in the crowd.
11	MS of Plungers frolicking in the water, clearly having fun	Sounds of splashing, yells of joy and excitement are coming from the crowd.
12	Over the shoulder shot of two people looking toward the ocean at all the action. These people are wearing winter coats, ear muffs, boots, pants and gloves, clearly looking stunned.	The distant sound of the Plunge action can be heard in the background.
13	CU of the two Winter People looking at each other, clearly stunned.	The techno music is still heard in the background
14	CU of Winter Person #1 giving a knowing nod towards the water while looking at Winter Person #2
15	CU of Winter Person #2 smiling and shrugging as if saying, “Why not?!”
16	MS of the two Winter People running toward the ocean together, smiling and yelling with joy	Winter People: Yahoo!!!!!
17	Text appears on the screen with the Polar Plunge logo and the phrase “Get Freezin’ for a Reason” along with the Special Olympics New Jersey logo. The event date and website are listed at the bottom of the screen	VO: Get Freezin’ for a Reason. Support Special Olympics New Jersey.

 

 

 

Freezin’ for a Reason 30 Second Spot (Draft 1)

The creative concept of this 30 second commercial is to give viewers a sense of being at the beach on a typical sunny day, but things aren’t what they seem. The scenery will be iconic to the Seaside Heights, NJ boardwalk, which is where the Polar Plunge takes place. The first part of the commercial establishes the scene as that of a crowded beach on what the viewer assumes is a typical sunny, summer day. Suddenly we see the “typical” action on the beach come to a complete stop as an announcer starts to countdown. A closer look at the scene shows the beach scene isn’t so typical after all…many people are in costume and everyone is clearly very, very cold. It’s winter! Two onlookers witness the action while bundled up in winter gear. They are inspired by the fun and decide to run into the water too. The spot ends with a tag of the Polar Plunge logo, the Special Olympics New Jersey logo and the phrase, “Get Freezin’ for a Reason” and the date of the event. The event website is listed at the bottom of the screen.

	Video	Audio
1	WS of a beach, crowded with people, on a sunny day.	Typical beach sounds (laughter, the sound of a volleyball being served, waves crashing, seagulls)
2	CU of a child’s hands building a sandcastle	Children’s laughter, waves crashing
3	CU of three people playing volleyball on the sand	Laughter, the sound of a volleyball being hit, waves crashing, the faint sound of beach music playing in the background
4	CU of legs on a beach towel – the beach goer is sunbathing	Waves crashing, distant sounds of laughter
5	CU of a group of friends on the Seaside Boardwalk	Arcade sounds, the muffled sound of chatter from restaurants, the clicks of glasses
6	WS of the beach: again crowded with people.	Typical beach sounds (laughter, waves crashing, seagulls, and distance beach music)
7	View from the ocean looking toward the beach, as if the camera is on a boat just off shore.   The crowd on the beach has suddenly stopped moving.	The beach sounds have stopped. Water lapping against the boat
8	A tight pan of the entire crowd – they are clearly all looking toward the water, and the viewer can see the breath of everyone on the beach. Several individuals are dressed in costume (an Elvis, a group of women in tutus, super heroes). Many are clearly shivering, teeth chattering.	A voice comes over a loud speaker: THREE, TWO, ONE…
9	WS of the crowd running directly into the water, en masse.	Loudspeaker: PLUNGE!!!!! Fun, upbeat music loudly plays in the background The cheers and yells of joy and heard coming from everyone in the crowd
10	MS of Plungers frolicking in the water, clearly having fun	Sounds of splashing, yells of joy and excitement are coming from the crowd
11	Over the shoulder shot of two people looking toward the ocean at all the action. These people are wearing winter coats, ear muffs, boots, pants and gloves, clearly looking stunned.	The distant sound of the Plunge action can be heard in the background.
12	CU of the two Winter People looking at each other, clearly stunned.
13	CU of Winter Person #1 giving a knowing nod towards the water while looking at Winter Person #2
14	CU of Winter Person #2 smiling and shrugging as if saying, “Why not?!”
15	MS of the two Winter People running toward the ocean together, smiling and yelling with joy	Winter People: Yahoo!!!!!
16	Text appears on the screen with the Polar Plunge logo and the phrase “Get Freezin’ for a Reason” along with the Special Olympics New Jersey logo. The event date and website are listed at the bottom of the screen

Paper Edit

	Video	Audio
1	MS of Cpt. Y and Cpt. Z sitting at a table talking to an off screen interviewer. In the background we can see a unit participating in a training exercise. Army barracks are in the background.	Faint sounds of the training exercise (a soldier keeping cadence, the shuffling of feet)
2	MS of Cpt. Z & Cpt. Y	Cpt. Z: Well, there’s a stereotype that if you’re in the Army, that you’ve got to be a man…
3	CU of Cpt. Y, looking in the direction of Cpt. Z	Cpt. Y: The competitive nature of just the Army in general, every soldier wants to make his mark to either lead the team, be a part of the team. Nobody falls asleep at night to be in the Army to say I just want to get by tomorrow. They want to contribute.
4	CU pan of soldier’s faces in the formation to show their relationship to each other.	VO of Cpt. Y: If one soldier is hurting, his friends are going to know about it. His friends are going to suffer from it. It’s going to bring down morale. So as much as possible, you want to open up all avenues to help every soldier possible.
5	WS of the soldiers marching in a group	VO of Cpt. Z: You’ve got to keep – keep them both mentally and physically healthy. And you don’t always have to talk to them from a Commander to a subordinate standpoint. You just talk to them man-to-man, and you learn a lot from your soldiers when you do that.
6	MS of Cpt. Z & Capt. Y at the table	Cpt. Y: Right. Soldiers are the – are the heartbeat; that – they’re the pulse and they’re the tempo of that unit. Keeping that team healthy is – is most important.
7	MS of the same soldiers from the formation walking off a military plane that has clearly just returned from a long mission. Families can be seen on the other side of the fence with signs welcoming home the soldiers. The men disembark the plane and begin walking towards their families	VO Cpt. Y: There’s no such word as no when it comes to helping the family. We do hold our soldiers accountable. Soldiers make mistakes, but at the same time, you’ve got to understand people are human, and – and bad things happen to good people, and good people do bad things. But in the same respect, our eyes and ears and hearts are always open to helping that family
8	CU of soldiers greeting their loved ones – they’ve finally made physically contact with their husbands, wives and children after disembarking from the plane	VO Cpt Z.: And we will drop training at the drop of a hat to – to help soldiers out and – and their families. And that – that is just absolutely crucial.
9	MS of Cpt. Y & Cpt. Z at the table	Cpt. Z continues: So you ask how – how we do it. Well, we have the support of our family at home, but our unit is a family. And when one of them is in trouble, we all come to their aid. And that’s how – that’s how we make sure everybody is taken care of.
10	CU of Cpt. Y	Cpt. Y: It’s an underlying trust that you build with your soldiers. If – if my soldier says he needs it or his family needs it, I give him the benefit of the doubt until I see otherwise.
11	MS of Cpt. Y & Cpt. Z at the table.	Cpt. Z: It’s a combat multiplier, and when you have a family that has – or any other soldier that has a strong family, he’s going to come to work and he’s going to be willing to put in those extra hours because he knows his family is taken care of.
12	Scene of the unit walking through a foreign city, clearly on a mission abroad. MS of the same men from the earlier pan and “coming home” scenes, now they are walking along together.	VO Cpt. Y: Right. You – you want to try to retain the soldier as – as much as possible; not just for the sheer numbers, but for the quality of the – the quality of who they are as a person. And – and that quality, it shows through.
13	MS of a soldier from the unit writing a letter by the light of his headlamp. He is clearly abroad in a tent with his gun and helmet resting nearby.	VO Cpt. Z: And that saying, leave no man behind, it doesn’t just refer to when you’re on the battlefield. It refers to just as much when you’re back here at home station and your soldier needs help. You – you just don’t leave him out there on his own. You – you bring him in and you take care of him.
14	MS of Cpt. Y & Cpt. Z at the table.	Cpt Y: Not everybody has a problem, but everybody can always use some help, whether it’s personal, professional. It’s only going to make you that much better as a leader.
15	CU of Cpt. Y	Cpt: Y: Everything wasn’t always as it may appear. I may be a Commander, but I’m a man, I’m a husband, I’m a father, and I’ve – I’ve had – made my fair share of mistakes and had shortcomings. At the same time, somebody was always there to help me.

Script: IKEA Welcome Home

The commercial for this reverse engineered script is for IKEA.

	Video	Audio
1	MS of rear view of Dad and Son entering the family kitchen. Son is carrying a duffle bag, clearly back home after being gone for some period of time. Dad’s arm is on Son’s shoulder as they walk towards Mom, who is preparing food in the kitchen.	All three say hello enthusiastically
2	MS of Son approaching Mom, smiling happily.	Son: “Hey mom!”
3	MS of Mom and Son hugging happily in the kitchen.	Mom: “Welcome home!”
4	CU of Son as he steps out of the hug with Mom.	Son: “Wow, this kitchen looks beautiful!
5	WS of the family in the kitchen. Mom is still beaming with happiness to see her son. Son looks around.	Son: “It’s bigger!”Mom: “It’s great right?!”
6	CU of Dad talking to Mom	Dad: “Give him the tour!”
7	Dirty shot of Mom, Dad is motioning to the kitchen.	Mom: “Let me show you!”
8	CU of Mom as she runs her hands over the counter tops.	Mom: “Quartz countertops.”
9	CU of Mom closing an open drawer. Zoom to her hands closing the drawer.	Mom: “Soft-close drawers.” Audible squeal from Mom when the drawer shuts.
10	CU of Mom running her hands along the sink.	Mom: “Farm sink!”
11	CU of Son looking at Mom, somewhat bewildered.
12	MS of the breakfast nook.	Mom, continuing her tour in the background: “Under-cabinet lighting.”
13	MS of Son and Dad, still standing in the kitchen. Son points, bewildered, in the direction of the breakfast nook. Dad is giddy in the background.	Mom, in the background, “Look at this spice rack!”Son: “Where’s my room?”
14	MS of Mom, giddy in front of the spice rack. Upon hearing Son ask about his room, Mom stops short, her joy escapes from her face as she looks in the direction of her son and husband.	Mom: “Oh it’s just…” She is cut off by Son.
15	MS of Son and Dad. Dad points in the direction of the breakfast nook.	Dad: “Back there where it’s always been.”
16	MS of a door near the breakfast nook.
17	MS of the son opening the door, supposedly to his room. Dad appears behind him as they both look in.	Dad: “We had to take just a little bit for the kitchen…”
18	Dirty shot over Son’s shoulder, we see into the room, which is just big enough to fit a single bed.	Dad: “Just slide right in!”
19	WS of the family in the kitchen. Mom and Dad are prepping dinner and Son walks towards his room in the foreground, smiling.Price of kitchen model appears on the screen: LIDINGO kitchen Starting at $1899. Warranty text appears as well. Ikea logo appears in the foreground of the scene. In white text: “The Life Improvement Store.” In smaller white text: Visit IKEA.com/kitchens Disclaimer in small font at the bottom	VO: Because your kitchen dreams can be big. Ikea has it all.

Script: Lays and Mrs. Potatohead

The video for this reverse engineered 30 second TV commercial is for Lay’s Classic Potato Chips.

	Video	Audio
1	Medium shot (MS) of Mr. Potatohead entering his house after a long day of work. He’s happy to be home. He puts down his briefcase, pops off his hat and pops in some plastic hair.	The door shuts behind Mr. Potatohead as he whistles delightfully. As he pops in his hair, Mr. Potatohead says in a singsong voice: “Sweetie, I’m home!” Happy piano music is playing in the background.
2	MS of Mr. Potatohead looking around the living room. He is startled by a noise and looks to his left and right, confused.	A loud CRUNCH is heard coming from another room in the house.
3	MS of Mr. Potatohead, now in the kitchen. He sees a pot of water boiling on the stove – his wife must be making dinner. As the loud CRUNCH is heard, Mr. Potatohead’s eyes become startled. He looks around for the noise.	Another loud CRUNCH is heard somewhere else in the house. Mr. Potatohead: “Hello?!”
4	MS of Mr. Potatohead entering the pantry. The shot is taken from the point of view of the “cruncher.” The cruncher is a blur in the foreground. As soon as he opens the pantry door we see his eyes widen – he’s found the source of the crunching! He is shocked.	As the door opens to the pantry we hear more crunching. Mr. Potatohead, clearly startled: “Sweetie!!”
5	Close up (CU) slow motion of a yellow Lay’s Potato Chip bag with a signature Potatohead hand pulling a chip from the bag. Partial view of female Potatohead lips	Piano music continues to play. Mrs. Potatohead, deeply into the moment: “Mmmmmmm….mmmmm.”
6	CU slow motion of Mrs. Potatohead bringing a chip to her puckering lips. Her eyes are closed and she’s excited to take a bite.
7	MS of Mrs. Potatohead just about to put the chip in her mouth. She holds the bag of lays in her other hang. She opens her eyes and gasps – she sees Mr. Potatohead! Her appearance stiffens as she freezes in fear.	Mrs. Potatohead gasps audibly as soon as she sees Mr. Potatohead.
8	MS of Mr. Potatohead staring back at Mrs. Potatohead, his eyes wide.	Mr. Potatohead: “But you’re a potato!”
9	MS of Mrs. Potatohead listening to her husband. She looks at him and back at her chip while blinking her eyes knowingly, and decides to eat the anyway, clearly overtaken with joy and ecstasy.	Voice over: “The light, crispy taste of Lays potato chips…” Mrs. Potatohead can be heard giving another “mmmm” while crunching the chip in her mouth
10	Yellow screen with a bag of Lays Classic Potato Chips in the center. To the left of the bag in red font: one taste and To the right of the bag in red font: you’re in love The text falls slowly from the top of the chip bag and several chips fall into the bag. The bag makes the motion of sealing while the test ends up centered in the screen (with the bag still in the middle).	VO: “One taste, and you’re in love
11	MS of Mr. and Mrs. Potatohead sitting together in the pantry. She is holding the classic Lays bag and begins to feed him a chip. The two look each other in the eye.	Mr. Potatohead: “Our little secret, OK?” Mrs. Potatohead: “Mmm hmm.”
12	The shot pans out as Mr. Potatohead allows Mrs. Potatohead to put a chip in his mouth. He crunches happily. Fine print about Potatohead copyright is at the bottom of the screen in white text.	Mr. Potatohead crunches a chip. Mrs. Potatohead giggles.

Concept Paper: CrossFit Yards

CrossFit Yards is a CrossFit box (gym) located in Morrisville, PA. There are about 75 active members who attend classes on a regular basis. The box is owned and operated by Jessica Leonard. CrossFit is “constantly varied functional movements performed at a relatively high intensity with the aim of forging broad, general and inclusive fitness. The CrossFit program is designed so that athletes of all levels of experience can improve their fitness level, strength, and flexibility” (CrossFit Yards, 2014).

The Focus

CrossFit Yards would like a branding video to bring in new members. The video will be hosted on the gym’s website and shared on its Facebook page. Several gym members have large followings on their personal social media channels, so members would be encouraged to share the piece as well (word of mouth marketing is important and lucrative for the owners). The owners of CrossFit Yards hope the piece will attract new members from the surrounding area.

The Issues

Despite taking off as a “fad” workout regime, CrossFit on the whole often gets a bad wrap for being too intense, too expensive, difficult to get into if you aren’t in phenomenal shape, or downright dangerous. Many people have misconceptions about getting started with CrossFit because of these stereotypes, and small gyms like CrossFit Yard suffer because of it. The actual environment at CrossFit Yards is constructive, educational, personal, safe and effective – much like personal training. The gym offers small group coaching and places an emphasis on form above all else.

The Audience

The video will target potential clients of the gym – individuals and families in the general vicinity of the gym (Morrisville, PA). These are people who are interested in changing up their fitness routines and need a personal experience (but don’t want to pay for a gym membership AND personal training to achieve it). The typical customer at CrossFit Yards is middle-aged (30+) with significant disposable income.

Content Points

• Anyone can do CrossFit at CrossFit Yards
• CrossFit doesn’t have to be scary or intense
• At CrossFit Yards no one is going to yell at you or make you do something you don’t feel comfortable doing
• CrossFit gives real results in a sustainable, safe, group setting

The Brand

CrossFit Yards takes CrossFit “to the people” better than any other CrossFit gym in the area in an effective, supportive environment. Members receive personal training-quality coaching and guidance, while seeing real results through a constantly-varied workout regimen.

Concept Paper: Seaside Polar Plunge

The Seaside Polar Plunge is a fundraising event hosted by Special Olympics New Jersey. All proceeds from the event benefit the more than 24,000 Special Olympics athletes in the state. The Polar Plunge takes place in Seaside Heights each February and invites participants to take an icy dip in the Atlantic in the middle of winter. In recent years the event has featured more than 5,000 plungers raising more than $1.5 million a year.

Polar Plungers must raise a minimum of $100 to take the Plunge and can earn incentive items for going raising funds beyond the minimum. Typically, Plungers enjoy the hours before the Plunge at the boardwalk bars and restaurants and the energy of the day is electric at a time of year when the area is usually quiet.

The Seaside Polar Plunge does not have its own social media presence. Social media marketing efforts are managed through the Special Olympics New Jersey channels. The Seaside Polar Plunge website is currently part of the main Special Olympics New Jersey website.

The Focus

Event organizers are in need of a branding video to place on the Seaside Polar Plunge website homepage. The organizers hope to attract more families to the event to participate in the family-friendly aspects of the weekend, and place greater emphasis on the impact the fundraiser is making for Special Olympics New Jersey.

The Issues

The current Seaside Polar Plunge is successful in terms of participation and dollars raised, but event organizers believe it has potential to grow significantly in terms of participation numbers, especially by attracting families. The addition of the Cool School Challenge in 2014 was meant to appeal to a school-aged crowd, and organizers offered a family-only Plunge zone. Currently, the Plunge attracts mostly groups of friends, organizational teams from businesses/clubs and college students.

Furthermore, organizers believe a vast majority of participants take the Plunge because it is a fun event to do at an otherwise dull time of year, not necessarily because the event benefits Special Olympics New Jersey. Future marketing efforts will better educate participants about the cause and the impact of the event on real people, and encourage them to continue to fundraise because of it.

The Audience

The audience is twofold. To increase participation numbers the audience is families in the greater Philadelphia and NYC areas looking for fun activities to do in the winter. Once people are registered, they become part of a new audience, hoping to understand why the Plunge is more than just a fun event (fundraising makes a real impact!).

The Content

• The Plunge is a fun, exciting, family-friendly event taking place during a dull time of year at the beach
• The Plunge has something for everyone: The Cool School Challenge is for groups of school-aged children to participate in the event together and to raise money collectively, families can Plunge together in the family area, and groups and take the Plunge together
• No matter how you take the Plunge (in a group, alone, with friends, with your kids) you’re really making an impact on Special Olympics athletes in New Jersey

The Brand

The Polar Plunge is much more than an icy dip for “crazy” older people. The event is an experience for just about anyone, all for an important cause.

No Candy on Halloween?!

What could be more horrifying than no candy on Halloween?! This commercial takes us into the minds of a few kids on the sweet-filled holiday as their treats are replaced with “healthy” versions of their favorites.

In the video, a group of young children are taking part in some sort of focus group about Halloween. They are all in costume and the room is decorated for the holiday. The moderator, an adult, opens by asking the children, “Who likes Halloween candy?!” and all the kids immediately raise their hands and say “me!!” The moderator then explains Halloween candy will be replaced with some new “healthy” treats and offers the children all sorts of fun sounding goodies like “tofu ghostmallows,” “artichoke buttercups” and vitamin B-12. The children are very open about their disgust for the “healthy” Halloween treats; they spit out the items, cringe and squirm, and one little girl even throws up a little. After the taste test the moderator tells the kids the treats they tasted are replacing candy on Halloween and he asks them, “How do you like Halloween without candy?!” and they all scream in disgust. The commercial ends with the phrase, “There’s nothing more horrifying than Halloween without candy. Thankfully there’s Crest & Oral B.”

The commercial takes a dentist’s worst nightmare – a holiday filled to the brim with candy – and flips it on its head. Rather than try to fight a losing battle convincing kids to avoid candy, the makers of Crest and Oral B dental hygiene products position themselves as a solution to a problem that will simply never go away. No need to do something drastic like replace candy with health food or attempt to educate children about the harmful effects of sugar on teeth, Crest and Oral B just gently remind viewers they’ll be around when the candy feast ends. The commercial isn’t obviously an oral hygiene commercial at all, and only at the end do we learn about the tie to toothpaste.

Brand positioning statement: Eat junk, clean later.

Live Mas

Remember those youthful nights of sneaking out of the house, partying with friends and just generally getting in to trouble? The good ‘ole days are back for this group of fun-loving seniors.

In this commercial an older gentleman seemingly settles in for the night in his retirement home as he says goodnight to a nurse. However, when the lights go out, Mr. Goldblat, our main character, sneaks out of the room, jumps into a car with several older friends and starts his night on the town. The group of seniors can be seen sneaking into private pools, setting off firecrackers on unsuspecting porches, dancing in a club, making out in bathroom stalls, popping wheelies, terrorizing patrons through restaurant windows, getting tattoos and generally causing a lot of mischief. A Spanish version of “We Are Young” plays in the background. At the end of the video, the group, clearly exhausted and probably silly from one too many drinks, can be seen sprawled out on the hood of their car, scarfing down tacos. The piece ends with the Taco Bell logo and slogan, “Live Mas.”

The strategy behind this commercial is to make viewers feel the thrill of youth, risk and a carefree attitude. Age is nothing but a number when you’re living life to the fullest, as these seniors are so clearly doing. Taco Bell wants viewers to get a sense of what it’s like to “live more” by letting go of stereotypes and our own inhibitions. In the end, the Taco Bell brand is about much more than food, it’s about making fast food an experience.

Brand positioning statement: Food as lifestyle.

Love Them Back

This commercial is much more than the story of a man and his dog; it shows us the true meaning of friendship and unconditional love.

In the video and man and his dog silently go about their day. They spend the afternoon taking a walk into town, enjoying a drink together, and picking up a bouquet of flowers. The two are wonderfully in sync – the dog is off his leash and walks with the man side by side. They share knowing glances with each other throughout the opening scenes and it’s clear they are more like family than friends. It turns out the man is actually on his way to bring the bouquet of flowers to a grave site, which is implied to belong to his deceased wife. As he puts the bouquet of flowers on the grave he is overcome with grief. Thankfully the dog is there to lick his hand and bring his spirits up again. The two leave the graveyard and head back home, where the man prepares lunch; a spread of meats and cheeses for himself and a dish of Cesar dog food for the pup. In the end the man and his dog enjoy their meal outside, together.

This commercial is meant to evoke feelings of unconditional love and understanding that pet owners have with their pets. It’s meant to make the viewer feel overcome with emotion about the bond between owner and pet. Our furry friends are there for us when we need them most, so we should look out for their best interests too. One of the best ways we can do that is by giving them the food they deserve, and Cesar uses this commercial to make us believe they are the brand with the answer.

Brand positioning statement: Reciprocate Unconditional Love.