In this campaign for Dos Equis, Droga5 New York brings the brand’s “interesante” point of view to what makes summer great, from weddings to pool parties to 1980s night at the local bar.
For the latter scenario, there’s “Hit Single” directed by Wayne McClammy of production house Hungry Man. In this spot, a loving tribute to timeless summer jams and ‘80s’ MTV Spring Break live performances, Bonnie Tyler’s 1982 hit single “Total Eclipse of the Heart” is transformed into another kind of emotional ballad, this one about the trials and tribulations of ordering Dos Equis and appetizers at a crowded bar. It’s part of the overall campaign push to encourage drinkers to make every moment interesante.
“Total Eclipse” takes on totally rad lyrics crooned with feeling and chronicling indecision over what snacks to order with Dos Equis.
Our ‘80s female performer sings, “Every now and then I get a little bit thirsty for a Dos Equis.”
She goes on to share, “Every now and then, I get a little bit hungry and I also need a side of nachos.”
But then she’s fraught with indecision, singing alternately about nachos, French fries and hot wings–all to the chagrin of the bar waitresses who aren’t sure what to bring her. They are in a holding pattern, with no gratuity in sight.
Our singer is also frustrated–not just struggling over choice of appetizer but how hard it is to order since, as the lyrics related, “There’s a really big crowd at the bar.” Even when she decides, our singer has a wait in store before she gets her coveted snack.
This tongue-in-cheek predicament is right in step with McClammy’s penchant for the charmingly absurd, with Beacon Street in turn bringing its musical chops to the proceedings. The Beacon Street ensemble included composers Andrew Feltenstein and John Nau, executive producer Adrea Lavezzoli and producer Lindsey Lerman.
“Hit Single” earned the #1 slot in SHOOT’s quarterly Top Ten Tracks Chart. Audio post mixers were Phillip Loeb and Elizabeth McClanahan of Heard City, New York.
The right vibe
Feltenstein simply and succinctly explained that perhaps the biggest challenge posed by “Hit Single” to him and his Beacon Street colleagues was “making the lyrics work hard.”
Helping in that regard–as well as in capturing the right vibe–was McClammy. Feltenstein said of the director, “Wayne is the best. I love working with him. He makes every project fun and always pushes us to make the music or score as amazing as possible.”
As for his biggest takeaway or lesson learned from his experience on “Hit Single,” Feltenstein affirmed, “Never underestimate Bonnie Tyler.”
The core Droga5 creative team included chief creative officer Neil Heymann, executive creative director Ryan Raab, creative director Matt Vittou, sr. copywriter Rob McQueen, sr. art director James Gross, executive producer Dave Stephenson, and producers Stephanie Hill and Gulshan Jaffery.
Dion Beebe, ACS, ASC served as cinematographer. Ryan Steele of Mackcut edited “Hit Single.”
Click here to see the full quarterly Top Ten Tracks Chart.
