Though it’s not readily apparent at the outset, the premise of this two-spot campaign for M-Tel cellular phones deftly features fun-filled ways for people to lose their voices.
In one commercial, we open on two young women sitting at a table in an outdoor Café. But rather than talk, they communicate to one another via text messaging on their cell phones. Clearly it’s a curious means of communication given that the two are in such close proximity. Why have they opted to write and read rather than talk and listen?
The camera reveals the messages on each cell phone display. “Told your boyfriend?” reads the opening message.
“Are U nuts, did you?” is the written response.
“Not a chance,” writes the first gal.
The spot then takes us back in time to what the two women wouldn’t tell their boyfriends about. We see the lasses at a male strip club, with guys baring most everything. The gals are screaming at the top of their lungs, hooting and hollering at the revealing stage show. That also explains why they are unable to talk now, having strained their vocal cords during the previous evening’s fun escapade.
A super reads, “If you can’t say it, write it. Now every text message is half price.” Along the bottom of the screen the M-Tel logo appears.
Titled “Striptease,” the commercial is one of two in a package directed by Boris Damast of Mechaniks, Venice, Calif., for agency Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann in Vienna, Austria. The other ad, “Soccer,” shows two guys at a pub bemoaning the poor officiating of a sports event of some sort. However, rather than talking, the men are text messaging one another. One text message even suggests that the referee must have been bribed. A flashback shows us that the two pub goers were earlier at a soccer game, booing incessantly, losing their voices in the process. Again, it’s a natural segue to M-Tel’s text messaging deal.
The campaign, which is airing in Bulgaria, was co-produced by Mechaniks and Sofia, Bulgaria-based Camera Films. Andrea Kikot executive produced for Mechaniks. Her exec producer counterpart at Camera Films was Stela Pavlova. Dobri Dimitrov was the production manager. The DP was Dimitar Gochev, who shot “Striptease” at the Toba Café and the Velvet Striptease Club, both in Sofia. Gochev lensed “Soccer” at two other Sofia venues, Swingin’ Hall and Gerena Stadium.
The creative team from Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann consisted of creative director/art director Francesco Bestagno, writer Claus Gigler and producer Maresi McNab.
Editor was Rene Schnuber, a freelancer from Vienna. Colorist was Doichin Margoevski of Camera Films. Audio post mixer/sound designer was the mono-monikered Busty, also of Camera Films.
The principal actors in “Striptease” were Veselina Gospodinova and Adriana Najdenova. The “Soccer” stars were Vladislav Jivkov and Konstantin Ikonomov.