What a difference a year makes. At this time in 2005, Harry Cocciolo, an accomplished agency creative, made the leap into full-time directing, joining bicoastal Tool of North America.
Remarkably, just a scant 12 months later, Cocciolo has fashioned a reel that’s generated considerable industry buzz–to the point where his newest work being wrapped at press time, two Acura spots for Rubin Postaer and Associates, Santa Monica, represents yet another career breakthrough, his first directorial foray into the automotive arena. It’s the latest diversification for a helmer who has been able to establish himself in the storytelling, humor, people/dialogue and visual genres in a relatively short time span.
In some respects Cocciolo’s progression as a director has evolved to where it parallels his reach as an agency creative, which encompassed two tours of duty at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners (first as a writer who became an associate creative director, and the second as a creative director/writer), a stint at See, San Francisco as its executive creative director, and a tenure as partner/creative director at the San Francisco office of London agency Leagas Delaney.
To be sure, as an agency creative, he was best known for his work in strong, at times off-the-wall comedy, ranging from “got milk?” (“Trix,” “Heaven”) to CNET (“Dancers,” “Plant”) and adidas (“Abandoned Mr. S,” “Spelling Trouble”). But while on the ad shop side, this humorous fare sometimes overshadowed his creative involvement in the relevant, emotional brand of storytelling reflected in pieces like AT&T Wireless’ “Business Traveler” (directed by Scott Hicks of Independent Media, Santa Monica, for Goodby), a sweet tug at the heartstrings that showcases the special relationship between a father and young daughter. And there was also automotive advertising like Cocciolo’s creative work at Goodby for Isuzu.
“My hope [from the outset] was to get to direct a wide range of work, enabling me to continue to be involved in the varied creative I had enjoyed during my agency days,” relates Cocciolo. “Realistically, though, that is hard to accomplish given the tendency to categorize directors. I’ve been very fortunate to get the opportunities I have in my first year at a production company.”
That good fortune, observes Tool’s managing director Phillip Detchmendy, stems in part from the fact that many agency creatives feel simpatico and like working with Cocciolo. Indeed having been on the agency side, the director understands what ad shop artisans have to go through in order to get a campaign off the ground.
“That’s what I thought I would miss most when moving over to the solo life of a director–the camaraderie of being part of a creative team,” shares Cocciolo. “Happily, I’ve been able to retain that feeling of camaraderie with my crew. And even though I’m now further down the line, I’ve been given the chance by agencies to help bring their ideas to life.”
On the crew front, a prime perk for Cocciolo has been the opportunity to work with varied artisans. Rivaling the kick of being able to broaden directorially into cars with the Acura job was being able to collaborate on that two-spot package with DP Max Malkin. “I’ve wanted to team with Max for a long time–to see how he works and to get a first hand feel of his approach and what he does visually. It’s been a real treat.”
The Acura campaign additionally underscores the fact that for Cocciolo, diversification has elements of familiarity. While he breaks new ground directorially by moving into the automotive discipline, the spots also incorporate humor and storytelling, which have been Cocciolo mainstays. The storyline for an Acura MDX spot, for instance, centers on a waiter who works his way down the street and through town in the SUV, eventually meeting another dozen waiters as it’s revealed to us that the MDX has a navigation system that also provides info on nearby restaurants, replete with Zagat restaurant ratings.
From his very first spot at Tool–the San Francisco Zoo’s “Tail” for BBDO West, San Francisco–Cocciolo made a mark directorially. “Tail” tells the story of a schoolgirl who’s an outcast because of a physical oddity; she has a long fur tail. While the circumstance is offbeat, the spot carries the universal emotion of feeling at one time or another isolated–if not shunned–for being different. The commercial walks the fine line of us feeling the girl’s pain but not getting immersed in that loneliness thanks to the sense that something magical is about to unfold–and it does, as she finds another girl with a tail, who’s standing in line to get into the San Francisco Zoo. A voiceover then asks, “Are you one of us? An accompanying tag reads, “Join Zoomanity.”
The charming, intelligent yet whimsical humor of “Tail” helped Cocciolo earn inclusion in SHOOT’s New Directors Showcase last year. From there, he moved on to take on a mix of work such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield’s “No Brakes” for Denver agency Cactus, LucasArts’ “Dodgeball” and “Paperboy” for Butler, Shine & Stern, San Francisco, the California Lottery’s “Snow” via BBDO West, San Francisco, Sprint/Nextel’s “Directions” for TBWA/Chiat/Day, New York, Reebok’s “Far” and “Paying Dues” out of McGarry Bowen, New York, and MasterCard’s “Canyon” from McCann Erickson, New York.
The latter shows a couple camping out–but ill-equipped for the experience. As the costs of various necessities are revealed, they are conspicuously absent, leading to the conclusion that being prepared for an outdoors outing is “priceless.”
While he couldn’t predict the success he’s enjoyed just a year into his directing odyssey, Cocciolo proved prophetic when interviewed by SHOOT upon joining Tool in ’05. He explained the one consistency in his filmmaking that indeed has since earmarked his body of directorial work over the past 12 months. “It’s the humanity of the message,” he said. “That doesn’t mean that it features people, just that there is a real message there, told in a way that is hopefully relevant to the viewer. It can be funny, emotionally moving or something altogether different. There is power in respecting your audience and finding the humanity in each idea.”
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