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    2017 Year End Survey – Dan Kelleher

    By Mike MorgeraUpdated:No Comments852 Views
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    1) I think AI has been the most exciting area of growth and development in 2017. It makes us think differently about creative briefs and expands what we are capable of accomplishing for our clients. I love everything that’s happening in this space right now, and in April Deutsch launched Great Machine, an AI division tasked with adding creativity, soul, personality, and a voice to the AI landscape. It’s a huge opportunity for brands to connect with consumers, but we believe that without a personality, AI is still just a bunch of numbers and code. As AI becomes more mainstream, the agencies that are working with it now will be the ones that are ahead. We’re excited to see where it takes us.

    2) When we were brainstorming work for DraftKings, we knew their fan base is different than our other clients. As a fantasy sports company, DraftKings needs to maintain constant communication with their fans, especially during the season. So, we set up the tools to keep them up and running with new communication within 24 hours of things happening. Our campaign “Play” content was created around the idea that people don’t just want to watch, they want to play. And they want to do so at what we call the “Speed of Sports.” Deutsch created a powerful, but easily adaptable campaign that allowed them to convert fantasy bracket-busting headlines into real reasons to play DraftKings. After weekend games, our writers created new scripts that were approved overnight by DraftKings, and by Tuesday were locked and loaded to go on air.

    3) In 2017, Deutsch launched the first marketing blitz for DraftKings that featured a doctor character, named Dr. Aftkings. Deutsch saw that DraftKings was having a perception problem. Their campaigns were founded on how much you could win. We were able to rebrand DraftKings to tap into the truth of the consumers: It’s not just about money, it’s about wanting to be closer to the game. That’s why we launched Dr. Aftkings, a new brand ambassador that would cure fans’ season-long frustrations and ailments, such as Draftitis, Loseonic Plague and Winnerhea. With the guidance of director Wayne McClammy, the voice of Dr. Aftkings became a new comedic voice that resonated with fans. This year was DraftKings biggest, most winning year yet, improving brand perception, increasing consideration, and exceeding acquisition goals.

    5) Great work breeds great work. I recognize that to keep your engine running, you need that satisfaction of producing work you’re proud of. My resolutions are to keep that energy going for Deutsch and ensure that everyone is creating and making.

    Dan Kelleher
    Partner, chief creative officer
    Deutsch NY



    Does “Hundreds of Beavers” Reflect A New Path Forward In Cinema?

    Monday, November 25, 2024

    Hard as it may be to believe, changing the future of cinema was not on Mike Cheslik's mind when he was making "Hundreds of Beavers." Cheslik was in the Northwoods of Wisconsin with a crew of four, sometimes six, standing in snow and making his friend, Ryland Tews, fall down funny.

    "When we were shooting, I kept thinking: It would be so stupid if this got mythologized," says Cheslik.

    And yet, "Hundreds of Beavers" has accrued the stuff of, if not quite myth, then certainly lo-fi legend. Cheslik's film, made for just $150,000 and self-distributed in theaters, has managed to gnaw its way into a movie culture largely dominated by big-budget sequels.

    "Hundreds of Beavers" is a wordless black-and-white bonanza of slapstick antics about a stranded 19th century applejack salesman (Tews) at war with a bevy of beavers, all of whom are played by actors in mascot costumes.

    No one would call "Hundreds of Beavers" expensive looking, but it's far more inventive than much of what Hollywood produces. With some 1,500 effects shots Cheslik slaved over on his home computer, he crafted something like the human version of Donald Duck's snowball fight, and a low-budget heir to the waning tradition of Buster Keaton and "Naked Gun."

    At a time when independent filmmaking is more challenged than ever, "Hundreds of Beavers" has, maybe, suggested a new path forward, albeit a particularly beaver-festooned path.

    After no major distributor stepped forward, the filmmakers opted to launch the movie themselves, beginning with carnivalesque roadshow screenings. Since opening in January, "Hundreds of Beavers" has played in at least one theater every week of the year, though never more than 33 at once. (Blockbusters typically play in around 4,000 locations.)... Read More

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