This German cinema spot for telecommunications company Komtel straddles, literally, the fence between attention getting and being of questionable taste. The ad’s star is Marty, a dog who can hump on cue.
The commercial opens on a farmer hoeing some ground in a rustic, open field. The idyllic countryside setting is disrupted by the appearance of a dog who runs up to the man and begins humping his leg. Overcoming his initial disbelief, the man, disgusted by Marty’s action, grabs the dog and hurls him skyward; the canine lands into a huge pile of hay. Undeterred, Marty quickly recovers and zooms out of the haystack towards his next intended target, an unsuspecting cow. The bovine lets out a resounding moo in objection to man’s best friend.
Next we see a signpost shaking violently back and forth. The German sign reads (translated into English), "Beware of dog." Sure enough, a tilt of the camera to the foot of the signpost, reveals Marty humping wildly.
Even domestic household chores cannot escape Marty’s compulsion. A woman is shown vacuuming her home. Suddenly the vacuum motor switches on and off intermittently. The culprit: Marty who has mounted the vacuum and is going to town.
The repeated showing of this frustrated canine comes into some semblance of an advertising context when a supered message in German declares: Don’t f… around. Use Komtel!" The final scene shows a child playing as Marty enters the room; the rest is left to the imagination as the Komtel logo fills the screen.
"Marty" was directed and shot by Robin Willis of Santa Monica-based Crash Films for Hamburg agency Klaar Kiming Agentur Fur Kommunikation. Originally slated for production in Europe through Gap Films, Munich—which represents Willis in Germany—the concept required casting a dog with a peculiar talent. No dog with the requisite skills could be found in Europe. However, Marty was discovered in Los Angeles, thus bringing Crash into the picture. And then budget concerns prompted a change in location to Toronto where the spot was filmed. The Canadian sites were chosen to pass for Northern Germany.
These changes in plans hopping from Germany to the U.S. to Canada necessitated a collaboration among three production houses: Crash; Gap; and Imported Artists of Toronto. Bill Fortney executive produced for Crash, while Oswald Von Richthofen and Danielle Tedesco produced, respectively, for Gap and Imported Artists.
The Internet played a key role in coordinating efforts among the production houses and Klaar Kiming. "This job could never have been accomplished in this way five years ago," related Willis. "The Internet allowed us to create a Web site where work could be seen in progress, and images and ideas could be accessed by each company in its own time zone. The spot was developed in unison with an agency in Germany." Crash’s Web site coordinator/liaison was Catherine Hollis.
Sans dialogue, the :60 was conceived by an agency team that included creative director Peer Hartog and art directors Katja Hildebrandt and Christoph Berle.
"Marty" was cut by Andy Ames of Panic & Bob, Toronto. Jonathan Strayer of Toronto-based effects house T-Laird McMurray served as head prop builder. Music was composed by Courtney Von Drehle of 3 Leg Torso, Portland, Ore.
Marty premiered on Nov. 18 in Germany.
