I knew they were going to be good," says director Kevin Thomas of the Citibank "ID Lip Synch" campaign he directed late last year for Fallon, Minneapolis. "It was a really strong idea, and like all the best ideas, it was simple. The spots are brilliantly written, very funny, and very clever in an observational way."
The trio of spots, "Outfit," "Mud Flaps" and "Geek," mark the British director’s first major foray in the U.S. advertising market. (Thomas directs via Thomas/Thomas Films, London, which he runs with co-founder/joint managing director Phillipa Thomas; he’s represented stateside by Sandi Mollod of Sandi Mollod & Associates, New York.)
The spots present a literal definition of identity theft—in each one, a victim of the crime speaks in the voice of the thief. In "Outfit," for instance, a middle-aged man sits in his wood-paneled den, drinking a can of beer while watching TV. In a valley-girl voice, "he" gloats about having recently purchased a leather bustier, and scoffs at the $1,500 price tag. After all, it wasn’t his money. And in "Geek," a young, sophisticated-looking woman getting a pedicure speaks in the voice of a nerdy teenager, who talks about stealing $20,000 to build a girl-robot, which will make for "the best prom ever."
While Thomas notes that he expected the spots to come out well, he admits to being surprised about the campaign being so well received. "The standard is so high in the U.S.," he says, "so I’m really pleased."
Thomas, a former agency creative who shifted to full-time directing in the U.K. six years ago, is known for his filmic abilities and ability to work in multiple genres, something he’s looking forward to doing in the U.S. market. So far, he’s directed several comedy-based spots here, including Bud Light’s "Locker Room," out of Fusion Idea Lab, Chicago, which features naked gym members getting a bit too close for comfort to the new guy, and Eclipse Gum’s "Agents" and "Greek Salad," out of BBDO Chicago, which parody movie genres. (Thomas also directed two Eclipse Mints spots for the shop: "Scientists" and "Lawyers.") "Comedy isn’t really what I’m known for in England," he notes, adding that he’s always been impressed with the humor in U.S. ads.
"The concept is everything; the idea is everything," he continues. "I’ve deliberately, since I began directing, made a real conscious decision … to not be put on a comedy shelf or a special effects shelf. … I don’t think you have to be like that. Film directors aren’t like that—they can go from one thing to another, so why not the same for a commercial director?"
The breadth of Thomas’ style is apparent in one of his latest spots, "The Big Match," for Carling beer, out of the Leith Agency, London. The :90, set to the tune "WooHoo" by the Five, Six, Seven, Eights, opens on two guys—one of whom is shirtless—in an apartment playing soccer. The ball flies out of a window, leading to an exuberant citywide soccer match of shirts vs. skins, with the instigators watching from the apartment’s balcony. The game ends with a skins goal, leading the shirtless guy on the balcony to do a victory dance that knocks his can of Carling to the street, making him the loser after all.
Thomas’ dramatic side is on display in Womankind’s "White Ribbon Day," out of Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Young & Rubicam, London, which won a Silver Lion at the 2002 Cannes International Advertising. The powerful PSA promoting awareness of domestic violence opens on an average-looking man in a trench coat walking along the street, counting each woman he sees. When he reaches four, he physically or verbally abuses the woman. At the end of the spot, he’s still counting; when he reaches the number four, he enters a home, presumably where he lives with a woman. A voiceover notes that most violence against women occurs behind closed doors.
Thomas started in advertising in 1983 as an art director at Abbot Mead Vickers (now AMV BBDO), London. He followed that with a stint at TBWA, London, and then joined Lowe, London, where he worked for six years, serving as head of art. After Lowe, he joined M&C Saatchi, London. While there, he began directing select projects, eventually leaving the shop to join Blink Productions. He stayed at Blink for a year before signing with Godman, London, where he met producer Phillipa Thomas (the two are not related). In ’00, the pair opened Thomas/Thomas.
The director has long been interested in pursuing more stateside work. "When you go to the award shows like D&AD and Cannes, some of the best stuff is coming out of America," explains Thomas. "It’s silly just to say I only want to do stuff in England. I’m not saying I want to just do American stuff either. I’ll do work anywhere in the world if it’s good. It’s all about ideas, and it really doesn’t matter where they come from."
Thomas has enjoyed his foray in stateside directing, praising the high caliber of actors in the U.S., as well as the trust agencies have put in him. He does note some differences between directing for the stateside market, particularly when it comes to the edit. It’s customary in the U.K. for directors to see a spot through the edit, which is not necessarily as common stateside. Thomas has been fortunate in that the U.S. shops he’s worked with have all been open about having his input on the initial cut. "I wouldn’t want to [not be involved in the edit], because what goes on air is what’s got you name on it, and the edit—all the postproduction—is such an important part of the [final product]," Thomas says. "I want to do a lot of good American work, but want to be involved in it as much as possible."
At press time, Thomas was about to embark on a second round of Citibank ads, and recently had his short film, True Love (Once Removed), screened at the Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival, a notable short film festival held in Clermont-Ferrand, France. "I do want to do films," Thomas shares, "but that’s more of a long-term thing, rather than a short-term goal. I’m concentrating on commercials at the moment."
