At first blush, this spot has a suggestion of sensuality and voyeurism, as we watch an attractive young woman standing in front of her open refrigerator door at night. We, however, are not the only witnesses. Also curiously observing from a foreground vantage point on the kitchen floor is a little dog.
The kitchen is dimly lit by the refrigerator’s light bulb. The woman voraciously attacks a carton of ice cream. She licks vanilla ice cream off her spoon. Next, she squirts a bottle of chocolate syrup directly into her mouth. Some of the syrup trickles to the floor. She then grabs from the fridge a can of whipped cream, shakes it vigorously, tilts her head back and sprays a dollop onto her eagerly waiting taste buds.
Finally she lets go of her food fixation, diverting from the impromptu sundae to look at the quizzical dog at her feet. The canine makes her feel obliged to explain. "What?" she says defensively. "No dishes, no dishwashing. All right?"
A supered message across a black backdrop also offers an apt explanation for what we’ve just seen. "Water’s scarce. Ways to save it aren’t."
A tag reads: "Denver Water," accompanied by a Web site address (www.denverwater.org).
The spot then returns to the kitchen, where the woman asks the dog, "Want some?"
Titled "Fridge," this :30 (with a :15 lift) is one of three commercials in a package designed to promote water conservation in Colorado. In "Toothbrush," a man brushes his teeth and rinses his mouth on the front lawn of his home with sprinkler water. In "Carwash," an automobile enters an automated car wash. The spot later reveals a rack atop the car, full of now-clean pots, pans and dishes.
The three commercials—all with the "Water’s scarce. Ways to save it aren’t" slogan—were directed and shot by Marc Greenfield of Food Chain Films, Portland, Ore., for Sukle Advertising & Design, Denver. David Allen Cress executive produced for Food Chain, with Kevin Sullivan serving as producer.
The Sukle team consisted of creative director Mike Sukle, art director Kelly Wright, copywriter Jim Glynn and producer Carol Williams.
Of the campaign’s strategic rationale, Sukle explained, "We really wanted to bathe this potentially serious issue in a more entertaining light." This was the third straight summer that Denver faced stringent water restrictions.
Editors were Dennis Fitzgerald and Kelly Morris of Mission Control, Portland. Online editor was George Mitchell, also from Mission Control. Colorist was Bruce Bolden of DownStream, Portland. Audio post mixer was Eric Stolberg of Digital One, Portland.
A fourth spot, "Mudslinging," contains the text of what looks like a political ad message scrolling down a backdrop of stars and stripes. The message implores candidates not to engage in mudslinging this election year since Denver is in the throes of a drought. Mission Control’s Michael Quinn was the Flame artist on "Mudslinging."
The campaign began airing this summer throughout Denver.
Andrea Royse was the principal actor in this spot. The SAG/AFTRA Commercials Contract Standing Committee has granted a waiver to allow commercials to be available for viewing on SHOOTonline.com. The spots cannot be copied, downloaded or e-mailed.
