Charles Schwab, the venerable financial planner, and co-CEO of the worldwide corporation bearing his name, was once a mild-mannered, bespectacled school boy. In BBDO New York’s latest spot for Charles Schwab & Co., "Candy Store," viewers learn that the young Charles Schwab had perhaps more than the usual teenager’s knowledge of the stock market.
Set in Any Town, America, of the early 50’s, "Candy Store" begins with a few boys racing inside a corner candy shop, eager to splurge their allowance on baseball cards and gum. As they pick and choose on the counter, they notice another boy sitting quietly nearby. "Why aren’t you spending your allowance?" a member of the clamoring group asks him. "Well, I’m going to build a portfolio that’s widely diversified … with a small portion aggressively seeking out higher returns," the young Schwab answers, his feet dangling off the stool.
"We wanted to use [Schwab] in a way that’s respectful, and yet have some humor to it," reflects BBDO’s executive VP/creative director Jimmy Siegel, who spearheaded the spot. Additional agency credits include BBDO art director Steven Block, copywriter Brian McDermott, and producer David Frankel. Siegel takes a moment with SHOOT to elaborate on the concept for the spot.
SHOOT: What did you hope "Candy Store" would accomplish?
Siegel: Charles Schwab is a very viable asset to the company, [and is] looked at by many investors as a paragon of honesty, integrity, and common sense knowledge of the market. We wanted to use Schwab in a way that’s respectful of him, and yet have some humor to the spot without making him look silly, of course. We don’t want to put him in as a shill, someone who screams offers at you in a commercial. That was the challenge. And this idea seemed like a wonderful way to do that. [The spot begins,] who are these kids, why is one kid talking about investment portfolios? And then he turns out to be the young Charles Schwab of 1951-’52. The spot had charm and humor to it, and yet was educated. I think Charles Schwab [mainly] wanted to communicate his particular investment strategy?that you should put the bulk of your investment in safe blue-chip stocks, and then use a small proportion of your investments to take a little more risk. That’s how he always used to feel about the market, and how he still feels about it.
SHOOT: How did you go about making the commercial both respectful and humorous?
Siegel: [One thing is] when you do see Schwab later in the spot, he is walking through the halls of Charles Schwab talking to clients.
SHOOT: For "Candy Store," did you talk with Mr. Schwab about his real-life childhood? Or was the spot more how one could imagine it was like?
Siegel: We certainly called Schwab, and had other people talk to him about it. We researched, and we found out where he grew up, and what his town looked like. David Cornell [the director, from bicoastal Headquarters] sent scouts out to the town [in northern California] to take actual pictures and we recreated fairly accurately what a candy store in his town looked like when he was growing up…. Our main concern with the spot [, though,] was finding a kid who we felt would be believable as a young Charles Schwab, and not just in looks but who could perform in such a way that it would make the spot. And I think we found an ideal kid. [We wanted] to find a kid who when you reveal that it’s Charles Schwab speaking, people go, "Oh! Yeah, I see the resemblance!" We were working backwards. We wanted him to be intelligent looking, just a tad serious about his subject, which is investing, and yet not nerdy. It was a fine line there.
SHOOT: What made you decide director Cornell would best be able to bring out that character?
Siegel: When we began the Charles Schwab campaign, David was [named] the director, and he’s been the director. David and me have had a wonderful association over the years. When I first began working with him, he was more of a shooter, and we collaborated very nicely on dialogue and performance spots. He trusts me as far as what I want from an actor, and what kind of lines I want, and I trust him with how its going to look, what its going to feel like, and all the other things that make a spot great.
