Who knows what evil lurks in the cloakroom? That’s the offbeat premise in this :30 promoting the Bonfire snowboarding jacket. A man gives the jacket to the coat-check girl at a restaurant. We then see the man and his date sit down to a meal, chatting and enjoying each other’s company. Unbeknownst to them, the sweet and demure coat-check girl is tucked away in the inner recesses of the cloakroom, getting to know the extreme sports jacket a little more intimately.
"Mommy’s home, and she’s had a bad day," says the coat-check lass, ripping off her dress to reveal leather underwear. Instead of a hanger, the jacket is dangling from chains, bondage-style. She pulls out a whip and strikes the jacket repeatedly, declaring her "love" for the garment.
Meanwhile, back at their table, the man proposes marriage to the woman. She accepts. We cut away from this lovely moment to return to the S&M encounter in the cloakroom.
"You make me sick," screams the coat-check girl to the jacket, amidst a rack of kinky paraphernalia. Suddenly a customer rings the bell at the front desk. It’s the man who wants his jacket back. The coat-check girl complies; her facial expression is that of a jilted lover as she relinquishes the jacket.
An atypical, parting product shot follows. A whip strikes the extreme sports jacket, tagged with the supered message: "Dominate the elements."
Slated to air during NBC’s coverage of the extreme sport Gravity Games, the spot was rejected by the network. A :60 version is even kinkier, delving deeper into the dominatrix scene, with a supered tag that reads: "Nipple clamps optional." Word is that Bonfire is seeking alternative outlets for the spots, but at press time there were no confirmed air dates. The spots are, however, slated for inclusion in skateboarding and snowboarding videos sponsored by Bonfire.
The :60 and :30 were co-directed by Art Haynie and Brad Steward, a.k.a. Plastic Figure, via Toronto production house One One Three. DP was Marc Laliberte Else. Perry Gladstone and Amber Ventris were executive producer and producer, respectively.
The creative team on the client-direct spot included creative director/art director/writer Ben Pruess and art directors/ writers Steward and Haynie. Bonfire’s in-house agency producer was Phil College.
Livio Sanchez of The Lookinglass Company, Santa Monica, was the editor, backed by executive producer Sue Dawson. Online editor was Garth O’Donnell of Riot, Santa Monica. Colorist was Gene Panero of Digital Magic, Santa Monica. Audio mixer/engineer was Stephen Dickson of POP Sound, Santa Monica. Jennifer Warren executive produced for POP Sound. Music was composed by Paul Hoffman of Blue Music & Sound Design, Los Angeles.
