Happy New Year! I hope 2010 will be a fine and prosperous one for us both. Things seem to be gradually picking up. Let’s pray it continues.
Check out some of what I’ve been up to – like these Ford radio spots for the F150 and the Focus.
Speaking of commercials, while watching TV tonight, I became intrigued by this commercial:
I don’t know anything about J. G. Wentworth, but as commercials go, this is a good one. No, it might not win a CLIO Award, but people will remember this number. For every business – but especially one that deals in “cash now” – it’s all about the numbers. Plus, c’mon! What wonderfully big operatic voices! They add an air of fun, as well as grandeur, to what is a fairly dry and worrisome topic. It seems it’s a running thing that J. G. (or the actor that plays him) does the tag line himself, but just maybe if he’d given a wink in close-up from the conductor stand on this one, and they’d dropped in a proper, professional voice-over (ahem), it’d be even more effective.
In a burst of free association, I’m thinking a VO might lend some of that “Geico aesthetic”. I’m reminded, of course, this legendary ad that introduced the late, great Don LaFontaine’s face to a broader audience (than the VO and film crowd to whom he was already legendary) who knew his voice but not his name:
The thought that might not be the real J.G. up there gives me occasion to revisit this amusing series of ads from the ’80s that put unmistakably friendly faces on a product (those of the actors as folksy CEOs):
All of these spots possess musicality and are fondly memorable. When you are trying to stand out above the competition, those can be important traits to try to incorporate.
So, if you’re out there and want to give it a shot sometime, J. G. folks, kindly look/hook/book me up. Oh! It did win a few awards!
Okay, Jeopardy’s back on. Later.
