This :60 takes George Clooney on a road trip to get a taste of his beloved Nespresso coffee. Directed by Grant Heslov via production house Untitled Inc. for McCann New York, the ad opens with Andy Garcia, playing himself, relaxing poolside in Los Angeles sipping a freshly-brewed coffee from his Nespresso VertuoPlus machine. He is talking on the phone with his friend Clooney, who is in a bit of a different situation – on location for a shoot in the pouring rain. As Garcia savors his Nespresso, Clooney is faced with a generic, sub-par coffee pot on-set. Envy sets in and George sets home to a Nespresso Boutique and his own cup of Nespresso Vertuo™ coffee.
On the road, Clooney finds himself in a real-life montage of Hollywood’s most famous travel scenes – getting a lift with Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear in The Muppet Movie, on the back of the Easy Rider chopper, in a car driven by Janet Leigh right out of Hitchcock’s Psycho, and even riding shotgun with Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit. Seabiscuit takes the last leg and brings him home to the front door of the Nespresso Boutique in Beverly Hills. After a long and entertaining tour, Clooney finally enjoys a cup of high quality Nespresso coffee–only to find that he has swapped locales with Garcia.
Client Nespresso Agency McCann New York Eric Silver, North American chief creative officer; Tom Murphy, Sean Bryan, co-chief creative officers; Larry Platt, executive creative director; Danny Rodriguez, group creative director; Nic Howell, creative director/art director; Geoff Bentz, creative director/writer; Nathy Aviram, chief production officer; Kathy Love, executive producer; Laura Frank, Anna Andreis, strategy. Production Untitled Grant Heslov, director; Phedon Papamichael, DP. Editorial Big Sky Chris Franklin, editor. Visual Effects Framestore NY Sarah Hiddlestone, exec producer; Murray Butler, executive creative director; Martin Lazaro, VFX supervisor; Nick Fraser, sr. producer; Nathan Diehl, Mohamed Echkouna, Sean Curran, Stefania Cancemi, Will Frazier, Nico Cappuccio, 3D team; Karch Coon, Sang Kim, Raul Ortego, Steve Drew, Matt Pascuzzi, Corrina Wilson, Elaina Brillantes, 2D team; Callum McKevenuy, design/matte painting. Color Company 3 Tim Masick, colorist. Music Mel Torme’s “Comin’ Home Baby” Audio Post Sound Lounge Tom Jucarone, engineer.
Top Spot of the Week: Director Jake Scott, Paramount Brand Studios “Make Your Gameday Epic” In “Gladiator II”-Inspired Pepsi Spot
Nearly 20 years after Pepsi’s “Roman Empire” made its mark on pop culture, the brand is returning to the arena with a colossal Gladiator-themed campaign titled, “Make Your Gameday Epic™.” Celebrating the start of the 2024 NFL season and the highly anticipated release of Paramount Pictures’ Gladiator II in theaters on Nov. 22, this short film--directed by Jake Scott via RSA Films for Paramount Brand Studio features Megan Thee Stallion, as Empress Megan, leading a legion of NFL superstars turned Gridiron Gladiators, including Josh Allen, Derrick Henry, Justin Jefferson and Travis Kelce, locked in an epic battle with ice-cold Pepsi at the heart of the action. A brand-new gameday anthem from three-time, Grammy award-winning artist Megan Thee Stallion soundtracks the campaign. The unmistakable “boom, boom, clap” from Queen’s epic track “We Will Rock You” is featured on a fresh sample with cutting new lyrics from Megan. The new track became available on all major music streaming platforms, and ahead of Megan hosting the 2024 MTV VMAs last night (9.11), where the track and music-video inspired spot were heard and seen throughout the show. “I’m honored to follow in the footsteps of the legends who appeared in this Gladiator campaign 20 years ago and proud to have carved my own new legacy,” said Megan Thee Stallion. “Pepsi really brought the worlds of music, sports and entertainment together in a powerful way to set off the new NFL season.” The spot opens with Lamorne Morris and Jake Lacy peering into a can of Pepsi Zero Sugar as it transforms into a colosseum. Empress Megan calls the shots, and the royal roster of NFL players are at her command as they all vie for her favor and a sip of an ice-cold Pepsi... Read More