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.
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More