Appreciation is said to come from realizing the good in what you have. And in this spot, a customer service representative for a department store attains that state based on her experience at the returns/complaint desk.
First, we see a man returning his toaster, with the glowing endorsement, “It burns everything black.” This sets off a rapid-fire procession of customers experiencing problems, each primarily encapsulated in three words or less.
“Leaky,” says a man holding what appears to be a humidifier.
“Creaky,” says the buyer of a chair.
“Unsafe,” sums up a man holding a chainsaw.
“Unstable” is used to describe a ladder.
“Won’t whistle,” says a guy carrying a teakettle.
“Won’t stop whistling,” explains another customer about his caged pet bird.
“Skips,” says a young man holding a DVD.
“Drips,” relates a woman holding a decorative plumbing fixture.
“Loses air,” complains a customer of an inflatable floatation device.
“Loses time,” says another about a clock.
“Doesn’t suck,” comments a man about his vacuum.
“It just sucks,” sums up a woman of a phone she’s returning.
The latter serves as an exclamation point for another day on the job, in which the department store employee is on the receiving end of complaints about products that, for lack of a better word, indeed “suck.” All the while she tries to keep a smile on her face, which is a daunting task in the face of so many unsatisfied customers.
Nonetheless, the tenor of the commercial, titled “Returns,” is humorous thanks to a curious mix–the barrage of complaints and quasi products presented in quick-paced cutting style and juxtaposed with the employee, played by Shannon Burwell, trying to somehow stay cheery. Adding to the comedic nature are the way in which the complaining words are related, sometimes in rhyme (“drips” follows “skips), other times in different context (“Won’t suck” for the vacuum, “It just sucks” for the phone) and in shared prefixes (“unsafe” followed by “unstable).
The spot cuts to the end of the day, when the customer service rep leaves the store and walks through a nearly emptied parking lot to her car, a Toyota Corolla. She smiles, as she gets in the automobile. A super simply reads, “One thing you can count on.” An end tag includes the Canadian Web site address, toyota.ca.
Erich Joiner of bicoastal Tool of North America directed the spot, part of a broader-based Toyota campaign, for Saatchi & Saatchi, Toronto. Joiner is repped in Canada by Imported Artists Film Company, Toronto.
The Toyota package was co-produced by Tool and Imported Artists. For the latter shop, executive producers were Christina Ford and Suzanne Allan. Tool artisans included executive producer Jennifer Siegel, head of production Amy DeLossa and line producer Joby Ochsner. The DP was Mark Plummer.
The Saatchi team on “Returns” included executive creative director Brett Channer, associate creative director/writer Simon Creet, associate creative director/art director Simon Duffy, and director of broadcast/producer Anna Tricinci.
Channer explained that consumers expect quality, reliability and durability from the Corolla. “Toyota’s main task,” he said, “was to put a modern spin on Corolla’s legendary reputation. The new creative is presented in an interesting and fun way that really reflects how people view this car.”
That fun approach is also reflected in the Joiner-directed “Corolla Dad,” a spot with different endings. The commercial opens on the steps of a family home with a father asking his twenty-something daughter whether her new love interest is “just like all the others.” When the love interest drives up in a new blue ’05 Corolla, the father approves. However, there are different endings relative to the identity of the daughter’s love interest (triplets, a punk rocker, another woman). The same tagline from “Returns” is deployed for the Corolla: “One thing you can count on.”
Editor was Chris van Dyke of School Editing, Toronto. Eric Whipp of Technicolor, Toronto, was the colorist on “Returns.” Audio post mixer/music composer was Ted Rosnick of RMW Music, Toronto.
