Going door to door to pitch the great taste of Barq’s Root Beer is inherently a comedic proposition. But it’s not so much the salesman as the people he meets that drive this humorous three-spot campaign directed by Joe Schaak via Circle Productions, Toronto and Vancouver, for agency Cossette Communications, Toronto. (Schaak is repped in the U.S. by Twist Films, Minneapolis.)
In "Overdub Guy," a young Barq’s pitchman rings the doorbell. The front door of the home opens to reveal a martial artist who’s straight out of a badly dubbed kung-fu movie.
"Hello, I like your dog," says the martial arts expert, whose dialogue is out of sync with his mouth movement. The "dog" he refers to is the salesman’s companion, a stuffed toy with a Barq’s Root Beer can mounted on its head.
The pitch then begins. "I’m letting people know that Barq’s has bite," says the salesman, handing a cold can of Barq’s to the kung-fu guy.
The master of the house takes a swig from the can—and it makes an impression. We hear a sound effect like he’s been hit in the head; again the audio is chronologically behind the action. "Yes, this beverage exhibits some incredible bite," affirms the martial arts maven, who appears slightly disappointed that the power of the drink has overshadowed his.
"I have lost face in my own home," he concludes. "Therefore you must die."
The man then goes into a kung-fu tirade. The camera reveals that he’s attached to a rig, ostensibly to allow him to defy gravity as he goes through his martial arts gyrations. However, it’s an ineffectual display of chants and movements. At no time does the martial artist seem capable of even making contact with—much less inflicting pain on—the Barq’s sales guy.
A simple closing slogan is supered over this bizarre scene: "Barq’s has bite."
In the other two commercials, the Barq’s pitchman confronts similarly offbeat characters. In "Ventriloquist," the door is opened by a man and his dummy. In "Old Man," a man in a motorized wheelchair is the pitchman’s target. Barq’s bite causes the elderly man fall to the ground. The senior citizen then threatens at spot’s end to kick the pitchman’s ass.
Director Schaak’s support team at Circle included executive producer Karen Tameanko and producer Heather Angus. The campaign was shot on location in Toronto by DP Barry Parrell.
The creative ensemble at Cossette consisted of creative director Stephen Creet, copywriter Mike Koe, art director Todd Mackie and producer Shenny Jaffer.
Editor was Brian Noon of Flashcut, Toronto. Assistant editor was Matt Dell. Online editor was Flashcut’s John Dowding. Colorist was Eric Whipp of Toybox, Toronto. Audio mixer/sound designer was Tom Thorney of Tattoo, Toronto.
Albert Chung and Jim Annan were the principal actors in this spot. The SAG/AFTRA Commercials Contract Standing Committee has granted a waiver to allow commercials to be available for viewing on SHOOTonline.com. The spots cannot be copied, downloaded or e-mailed.
