Until about a month ago, the stock market had been riding a wave of what Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan called irrational exuberanceameaning unreasonably high investor confidence, and even higher prices. Recently, though, several high technology and dot-com stocks have dropped in value. During the unprecedented bull run, advertising for investment companies was also bullish, with inventive, funny ads that emphasize the thrills and perils of following the news from Wall Street
One of the funniest and most emblematic of the trend is E*trades Wazoo, via Goodby, Silverstein & Partners (GS&P), San Francisco. In it, a patient is wheeled into the emergency room with a bizarre symptom: Hes got money coming out the wazooaa condition that alarms his doctors, but not the hospitals billing department. In the online investment services Sugar Momma, a strapping young fellowathe kept man of a singularly unappealing dowageradreams of escape via get-rich-quick schemes. In a third, Basketball, a high school hoop star stuns his sports-mad father by announcing that what he really wants to do is dance, dance, danceaand he does. All three ads were helmed by Bryan Buckley of bicoastal/international hungry man.
The E*trade campaign has been yet another windfall for its creative teamasenior copywriter Gerry Graf and senior art director David Grayawhich has enjoyed a remarkable run of well-received spots, including recent work for Nike and Polaroid. (Ironically, at press time, the Polaroid account had just moved over to Leo Burnett Co., Chicago.)
Graf and Gray first teamed up when both were at Saatchi & Saatchi, New York. Though they werent paired on any projects there, Gray and Graf worked in adjacent offices and ended up collaborating on a freelance print assignment. It was a local Chinese restaurant that served white wine while you waited for dinner, recalls Gray. I think our tag line was, AAll the wine you can drink, and some Chinese food.
Maybe it wasnt a classic, but it was a start. The duo moved to BBDO New York, in 94, where they worked on a series of Snickers ads, most of which were directed by Buckley/Todaroathe directing team comprised of Bryan Buckley and Frank Todaro. (The duo was represented by bicoastal/international @radical.media, where Todaro now directs solo, while Buckley is at hungry man.) The spots, which use the tag Gonna be a while? Grab a Snickers, included Team Prayer, in which a football player whiles away a lengthy pre-game prayer with a Snickers; Chefs, featuring a groundskeeper who mispaints the team name in the end zone; and Batman, in which a football player gets conked on the head and comes to believe hes the comic book superhero.
Graf and Gray stayed at BBDO for two years, moving to GS&P in 97. As to the differences in creative approach out West, Gray says, I dont know if I see a big change. I think Goodby has its own kind of culture. We came out here because we felt its the best agency in the country, if not the world. In New Yorkawell, at a lot of large agencies, theres a lot of frustration about not getting the work out that you want to do. Its kind of a grass-is-always-greener mentality.
At GS&P, the pair has worked on Nikes Alpha Project campaign, which included Snowdome, Goat Boy and Head, all directed by Michael Bay of bicoastal/international Propaganda Films. Striking as those spots wereaSnow Globe imagined San Francisco as a gigantic snow globeathey didnt do much for the clients sales. Rich Silverstein considers the Alpha Project the Edsel project of advertising, says Gray.
