Friends and family are seated at a table in a darkened room that is partially illuminated by the lit candles on a birthday cake. At the head of the table is the birthday gal who is about to blow out the candles. Usually the only element of “suspense” in this scenario would be if the woman can muster enough breath to take out all the candles with one exhale.
However, this time around, we don’t even get to that stage. In fact the woman celebrating her birthday doesn’t even try to extinguish the candles. The problem is that she can’t find anything to wish for because she already has everything—since she is a New York Lottery Powerball winner.
Still, she doesn’t give up, struggling to come up with something as those gathered around the table start to lose their patience. At times, it seems she’s about to conjure up with an applicable wish but then realizes that she already has “two of them.” Each time she seems on the verge of blowing out the candles, she realizes that the wish has already been realized.
The tagline “Yeah, That Kind of Rich” closes out the :30.
Jim Jenkins of production house O Positive directed the spot which is simply titled “Birthday.” He also helmed for the same campaign another :30, “Toast,” in which bar-goers throughout the State of New York toast Steve, a Powerball winner, who enjoys giving a little something back to the community in celebration of his good fortune. When the clock strikes 10 pm, he buys a drink for everyone who is at a bar throughout the entire state. Whereas “Birthday” recently debuted, “Toast” first appeared back in January.
New dimension
Both “Birthday” and “Toast” are an extension of the award-winning “Yeah, That Kind of Rich” campaign. The two spots bring a new dimension to NY Lotto advertising, going beyond fancy cars and houses to provide a peek into the day-to-day lives and endeavors, albeit some over the top, of Powerball winners.
The original “Yeah, That Kind of Rich” campaign was launched in January 2012 with three commercials: “Music,” “Driveway,” and “Garage,” all portraying the decadent possibilities for Powerball winners who reap the benefits of the larger jackpot, such as a live on-command performance by Cindy Lauper in one’s living room, a comically long driveway—long enough to necessitate driving to retrieve the morning newspaper—or a home garage chock-full of high-end vehicles. That campaign went on to earn assorted honors, including two Silver Lions at Cannes, a Gold World Medal at the New York Festivals, a Silver Medallion from the AME (Advertising Marketing Effectiveness) Awards at the New York Festivals and Bronze at the Clio Awards.
For “Birthday,” the DDB New York creative ensemble included chief creative officer Matt Eastwood, group creative directors Mike Sullivan and Rich Sharp, copywriter Jon Marshall, associate creative director Carlos Wigle, head of production Ed Zazzera and executive producer Walter Brindak.
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More