American Idol judge Simon Cowell is an opinionated critic famous for speaking his mind. So it’s hard to imagine that anyone could tell him what to think or say, but that’s exactly what happens in a humorous new spot for Vanilla Coke.
Created by The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va., and directed by Phil Joanou of bicoastal Villains, the commercial finds Cowell being "persuaded" to become a celebrity endorser for Vanilla Coke by Chazz (Chazz Palminteri), the slick, mysterious heavy previously featured in Vanilla Coke’s "Reward Your Curiosity" campaign, and his silently intimidating sidekick Jimmy (Sven Ole-Thorsen).
Set in an empty restaurant, the :30 "Simon" opens with Chazz’s associate Jimmy seating Cowell at a table. A tango-style track—composed by Jeff Elmassian, creative director of Endless Noise, Los Angeles—plays softly in the background. Sitting across from Cowell in a curved red leather booth is Chazz, who politely begins: "Simon, I can tell America, ‘I love Vanilla Coke,’ but if it comes from you, America’s most notorious critic, then we’ve got something."
Jimmy hands a bottle of Vanilla Coke to Cowell, who takes a sip. "So what is your opinion about Vanilla Coke?" Chazz asks.
Cowell, who appears to enjoy the beverage, starts to answer the question, but Chazz gruffly interrupts him. "Jimmy, show him his opinion!" Jimmy grabs a cue card and points to copy written on it.
Looking bewildered, Simon dutifully reads it: " ‘I love the smooth, intriguing flavor of Vanilla Coke.’ "
"He loves it! Jimmy, ring the bell. We’ve got our first celebrity endorsement," Chazz declares. He lets out a hearty laugh, then stops abruptly, his face turning serious. This man can be a real charmer, but he means business.
Cut to an animated shot of a bottle of Vanilla Coke created by Brand New School, Santa Monica. Chazz’s accompanying voiceover says: "Vanilla Coke, smooth and intriguing—like we said."
The spot ends with Cowell sipping his Vanilla Coke. Chazz is seated next to him, awaiting his reaction. "It’s good," Cowell says hastily.
LIKE THIS, OR ELSE
Cowell is one of two celebrities featured in Vanilla Coke’s new ads. Hip-hop star Missy Elliott appears in the other spot, entitled "Missy." She, too, meets with Chazz and is "convinced" that she should become a celebrity endorser for Vanilla Coke.
In choosing stars for the new ads, The Martin Agency sought famous folk who "would create a buzz. We ended up with Simon because [American Idol] was such a huge success," copywriter Joe Lawson related. "It just seemed like a natural fit."
Of course, you have to wonder if Cowell—who has no qualms about humiliating quivering contestants on American Idol and telling them how dreadful they are—had anything critical to say about the script Lawson wrote for the spot. "I was curious to see what he was going to say about the script," Lawson admitted. "And the first thing he said when we met him was that it was nice work. We felt like we had passed a big test."
"He was actually a very nice man," art director Sean Riley said of Cowell. "I mean, he definitely has an acerbic wit, you can tell that, but when you’re working with him, he doesn’t call you a jackass or anything."
Lawson and Riley said that they are fans of American Idol, but Joanou has never seen the show. The director has, however, heard of Cowell, since the Brit has practically become a household name here in the States.
Joanou admitted that initially he wasn’t convinced that Cowell was famous enough to appear in the Vanilla Coke ad. "I got this script in between the first and second run of American Idol, and I’ll be honest: At first, I was concerned that perhaps American Idol was a fad, and by the time we did this the fad may have worn off," Joanou explained. "I thought, ‘What is this? The pet rock of TV?’ But in the end I was wrong. Simon’s popularity is greater than ever."
While Joanou had issues with casting Cowell at first, he immediately loved the concept for the "Simon" spot, as well as the ad featuring Elliott, which he also directed. Both offer an unusual take on how celebrities come to endorse products. "Your typical endorsement has your person loving the product no matter what. These spots imply that it takes some urging for the celebrity to become the endorser," Joanou said. "In fact, in both cases neither of them agrees to endorse anything. Chazz just railroads them right in, and they’re like, ‘Huh?’ "
And that’s where the humor lies, although Lawson noted, "You do have to walk the line on that. Chazz can never be rude or unlikable, but at the same time he is twisting their arms and telling them what to do or think."
SIMON, MEET CHAZZ
Tightly scripted with no ad-libbing, the "Simon" spot was shot in one day last December on a soundstage at The Lot, West Hollywood, according to Lawson. Several Los Angeles area hotspots had been scouted, but a stage offered more control, Riley added.
The shoot itself—DPed by Jeff Cronenweth—was fairly simple and straightforward, Joanou said. Because the bulk of Palminteri and Cowell’s performances were straight into the camera lens, Joanou shot each actor separately, uniting them only for the spot’s final scene in which they are sitting next to each other.
Palminteri is an old pro, according to Joanou, who directed the actor in the original Vanilla Coke campaign. (Palminteri’s film credits include A Bronx Tale, The Usual Suspects and the recently released Poolhall Junkies.) "Chazz is one of those stage-trained actors who you do three takes with. Then you scratch your head and wonder what to say because he is so good," Joanou shared. "He is virtually director-proof."
Cowell was a cooperative professional, Joanou said, but he isn’t trained as an actor, so the director had to use a variety of techniques to get what he needed. For example, after shooting a few takes, Joanou left the camera rolling and started humming the song "Girl From Ipanema." "Simon just looked around like, ‘What on earth is this guy doing?’ " Joanou recalled, laughing. It was just the reaction Joanou was looking for, and that shot made it into the final spot.
And instead of politely asking Cowell to read the cue card Jimmy holds up, Joanou snapped at Cowell to "read the damn cue card," helping to achieve the startled look and awkward read the scene required.
Joanou might have appeared insane, but he didn’t care. "My entire effort as a director is geared toward making the actor comfortable—by whatever means necessary," he said.
Being the sharp guy that he is, Cowell ultimately realized what Joanou was doing. "It was nice because at the end Simon took me aside and said, ‘I really appreciate how you did that,’ " Joanou recalled.
Before Cowell departed the set, one of the crew members dared to ask the American Idol judge how he would rate Joanou. "Simon ended the day by saying, ‘He’ll never make it in this town!’ Of course, jokingly," Joanou related. "Everyone howled with laughter, and he quite enjoyed himself. It was a fun shoot."
As for how he’d rate Cowell as an actor, Joanou told SHOOT, "He got the job done, didn’t he? And the thing is, he is smart, and he has good instincts, so he is very easy to work with. I’d rate him very highly."
