This infomercial-style spot introduces us to an indispensable product: Chair Pants. We open on a man who is the second person in a short line at the bank. He seems terribly impatient considering he’s waited but a few seconds and is already complaining, “What’s the holdup.”
We then see different people from all walks of life and of all ages having trouble standing up–at the mall, at the grocery store, on the sidewalk. The solution: Chair Pants, bringing “golf bag technology” to the problem. The product is a step stool type contraption that is attached to a pair of pants. When you make a sitting down motion, you are propped up, resting your backside against the a mini-chair. When you stand up, the contraption neatly folds away.
Happy users of the product smile into the camera, declaring, “Thank you Chair Pants.”
Chair Pants are for anyone “who’s feeling a little weak or not drinking enough milk.”
The infomercial heralds a “bargain” price of $69.99 for Chair Pants–and if you order now, you’ll receive as a bonus two liters of milk.
A crawl message along the bottom of the screen reads that customers can expect delivery within two to 30 weeks, depending on if the warehouse workers feel too week to fulfill the order.
The spot is tagged with a website address (www.theweakshop.com). Accessing The Weak Shop uncovers a treasure trove of products akin to Chair Pants for the weak of body–if only they drank enough milk.
“The creation of The Weak Shop sub brand marks a innovative approach to milk marketing. It’s bold, quirky, and talks to teens in an unusual way,” said Liz Gurszky, director of market development and communication, BC Dairy Foundation. “Instead of preaching to teens about health benefits, we’re really driving home our point that milk gives you energy by showing the performance consequences of not drinking enough milk in an offbeat, teen-relevant way.”
B.C. Dairy Foundation, in partnership with its agency of record DDB Canada, Vancouver, B.C., and Rob Johnston, an award-winning industrial designer, developed a range of innovative products including, Chair Pants, Food Lift, Wallet Walker and more for The Weak Shop. Now available online, The Weak Shop opened its first retail location in Vancouver, B.C. on October 15 and will open a second location later this fall.
“The Weak Shop takes the existing ‘Must Drink More Milk’ creative platform to a whole new level. Our goal is to make milk a more socially relevant beverage choice and encourage consumption over sugary beverage alternatives whenever teens need to perform physically, mentally or socially,” said Dean Lee, creative director, DDB Canada, Vancouver.
The Weak Shop is an inherently digital and social idea that can flow through multiple mediums in a teen’s life. To promote The Weak Shop, DDB Canada developed an integrated campaign that includes TV and online infomercials, digital pre-roll and print, online and out of home advertising. The Weak Shop also has a presence on various social media sites including Flickr and YouTube, and can also be followed on Twitter and fans can join its Facebook page.
The idea for The Weak Shop and the humorous infomercials promoting it stemmed from recent research done on the Dairy Foundation’s current “Must Drink More Milk” advertising.
The research showed that teens understand the long-term strength benefits of milk, but they don’t always grasp the short-term gain — the fact that milk gives you energy. This insight was creatively paired with a broader societal desire for short cuts, best exemplified by the explosion of gadgets and miracle tools featured in infomercials and stores.
“The Weak Shop will generate a lot of talk value among teens,” said Lee. “It’s a creative, entertaining approach that’s completely unexpected for milk. For teens especially, it keeps milk messaging really interesting and fun.”
Additional new products, including software and iPhone applications will be available later this fall.
The Dairy Foundation invites people to submit their ideas that could be developed and added to The Weak Shop catalogue. The winner of the open-source product development contest will win a MacBook Pro with Adobe creative suite and will work with an industrial designer to develop their prototype and learn first-hand about the product development cycle. Weekly and monthly prizes will also be awarded.
The proceeds of all product sales from The Weak Shop will go directly to KidSport BC, a community based sport-funding program that provides grants for children to participate in a sport.
The “Chair Pants” spot was directed by Benjamin Weinstein of Steam/Filmgroup, Vancouver and Toronto. The DP was Phil Lanyon. Editor was Jonathan Morris of Steam/Filmgroup.
Disney Pledges $15 million In L.A. Fire Aid As More Celebs Learn They’ve Lost Their Homes
The Pacific Palisades wildfires torched the home of "This Is Us" star Milo Ventimiglia, perhaps most poignantly destroying the father-to-be's newly installed crib.
CBS cameras caught the actor walking through his charred house for the first time, standing in what was once his kitchen and looking at a neighborhood in ruin. "Your heart just breaks."
He and his pregnant wife, Jarah Mariano, evacuated Tuesday with their dog and they watched on security cameras as the flames ripped through the house, destroying everything, including a new crib.
"There's a kind of shock moment where you're going, 'Oh, this is real. This is happening.' What good is it to continue watching?' And then at a certain point we just turned it off, like 'What good is it to continue watching?'"
Firefighters sought to make gains Friday during a respite in the heavy winds that fanned the flames as numerous groups pledged aid to help victims and rebuild, including a $15 million donation pledge from the Walt Disney Co.
More stars learn their homes are gone
While seeing the remains of his home, Ventimiglia was struck by a connection to his "This Is Us" character, Jack Pearson, who died after inhaling smoke in a house fire. "It's not lost on me life imitating art."
Mandy Moore, who played Ventimiglia's wife on "This Is Us," nearly lost her home in the Eaton fire, which scorched large areas of the Altadena neighborhood. She said Thursday that part of her house is standing but is unlivable, and her husband lost his music studio and all his instruments.
Mel Gibson's home is "completely gone," his publicist Alan Nierob confirmed Friday. The Oscar winner revealed the loss of his home earlier Friday while appearing on Joe Rogan's... Read More