The wonders of the animal kingdom are deployed to promote the Roger Williams Park Zoo, Providence, R.I., as a fun and exciting place for the entire family. While this strategy hardly seems out of the ordinary, it’s the humorous manner in which this three-spot campaign showcases faunal behavior that sets it apart from other bids to pique the interest of potential visitors.
Consider the :15 titled "Emu," which opens on a boy who’s fast asleep in a chair. Next to him in the room is an emu, which resembles a small ostrich.
As a voiceover informs us that the emu "will swallow anything small and shiny, such as buttons," the boy awakens and stands up, at which point his pants fall down, revealing his skivvies.
"Yet one more reason to wear clean underpants," the voiceover concludes. The spot ends with the logo for the Roger Williams Park Zoo.
The other two :15s—"Archerfish" and "Radiated Tortoise"—in this package are similarly themed. One shows an archerfish, known for "its marksman-like ability to spit, helping it to capture food." In the ad, the fish swims around in a bowl that’s placed next to another boy. When the fish expectorates, it predictably hits the youngster, who turns his back on it.
And in the third spot, a radiated tortoise is shown slowly making its way across a room. Sitting on a chair in that room is an elderly woman. A voiceover informs us that the tortoise lives on a diet of greens and moves only 30 feet a year. The narrator concludes, "And you thought grandma was slow and gassy."
Eric E. Fitzpatrick directed the campaign, which was conceptualized by a creative team at agency RDW Group, Providence. The job was run through Los Angeles-headquartered Potato Productions, with Sam Gourami serving as executive producer. The DP was Leland Krane. Shortly after wrapping this package, Fitzpatrick signed with Right Brain Films, Beverly Hills, Calif., for national representation. He continues to be handled in Canada by LTB Productions, Toronto.
Fitzpatrick is no stranger to "The Best Work You May Never See" gallery, having earlier been recognized for another spot out of RDW, Blue Cross/Blue Shield’s anti-smoking piece titled "Inside Out" (SHOOT, 7/12/02, p. 11), as well as a pair of spec commercials: Pasadena Art Center’s "Masterpiece" (SHOOT, 8/31/01, p. 11) and Guinness’ "Shaving Cream" (SHOOT, 10/6/00, p. 12).
The team at RDW Group consisted of creative director Jeff Patch, senior art director Jeff Dahlberg, senior copywriter Wendy Boffi, production manager Robert Forcino, freelance producer Zeke Bowman and assistant producer Malcolm Wax.
The spot was cut by editor Jeff Ledellaytner of Spot Editorial, Boston, with Tara DeMarco serving as executive producer. Ledellaytner and DeMarco were also compositors on the commercials. The colorist was Rob Leaton of National Boston, Brookline, Mass. Audio mixer/sound designer was Tom Love of Rumblestrip, Brookline. Composer was Hendrik David Gideonse XIX of Indecent Music, Boston.
