Director Suthon Petchsuwan of TWC Films, Los Angeles, teamed with London agency 18 Feet & Rising on an inventive spot launching wood care brand Cuprinol's new integrated advertising campaign "Cheer It Up!" "Whimpering Garden" is about an unhappy garden shed that gets cheered up with a can of Cuprinol Garden Shades.
In the :30, a couple is woken up in the wee hours of the morning by a crying baby. The husband drags himself out of bed, as his wife turns over and goes back to sleep, As he heads down the stairs the cries and whimpers continue. When the husband walks into the backyard holding a giant baby bottle, we find that the sobbing isn't coming from a baby but a weathered baby shed in need of some love.
Lying down on the ground in full fit is the couple's shed, shaking and crying, fountains of tears spilling from the windows. The door "pacifier" handle comes out and the bottle goes in. It seems like all might be well until the shed spits out the bottle spewing milk all over the husband.
Finally, the exhausted wife appears holding up a can of Cuprinol, which works like a charm. A few coats of Cuprinol paint later and the couple are smiling happily next to their bright and cheerful shed. It finishes with the tag line, "For protecting and brightening your garden. Cuprinol. Cheer it up."
"When the board first came in for Suthon, immediately I knew this was a creative idea that he could bring a great deal to, in terms of how the comedy should be interpreted. The agency creative team and client were so receptive to his ideas, and we had a fantastic creative development process from inception to final picture." remarked Hugh Bacher, executive producer for TWC. "Suthon's approach to the live action gag elements, his casting and how he gets the most from the performance of the talent, and the exacting level of detail and quality he delivers in post all played a part in realizing this creative idea's full potential."
