Will it play in Peoria? What about Battle Creek, Michigan? In this case, the act in question is an animal tamer who’s a poor man’s Siegfried or Roy—take your pick.
"Trainer" opens on the flashy would-be entertainer, clad in a gaudy white leisure suit and standing in a rolling green field. "I hear of this place where the animals run wild and free—no cages," he says. "Today, they will know the power of a great trainer."
Wielding a hoop, a whip and a chair, this self-proclaimed beast master goes to work. The only problem is that the animals, grazing yards away, are oblivious as he barks out commands. Imploring gazelles and zebras to jump through the hoop, the man gets no response—only a half-curious, distant look from the animals.
Exasperated, the trainer slouches in his chair, sullenly lashing his whip. However, he makes one last-ditch effort to show the critters who’s boss. "Don’t run away," he commands the zebras. They keep running. He then orders a giraffe to jump through the hoop, a comical request given that the hoop seems hardly large enough to accommodate a porcupine. In full-out pursuit of the giraffe, the trainer trips and falls flat on his face.
A voiceover relates, "Binder Park Zoo’s Wild Africa. It’s pretty wild."
The spot concludes with the animal trainer (figuratively) licking his wounds. "It was never like this in Vegas," he grumbles.
The offbeat concept was devised by a creative contingent at Kalamazoo, Mich.-based ad agency TraverRohrback. Comprising the team were creative director Dean Gemmell, associate creative director Kent Elliott, copywriter Tom Blandford, art director Glenn Stevens and producer Kyle Maurer.
The :30 was helmed by John Towse via bicoastal/international hungry man. A producer at the company, Towse has begun to move into directing. The spot was shot by DP Dave Morabito at the Binder Park Zoo’s Wild Africa park in Battle Creek. The hungry man support team included executive producer Stephen Orent, producer Michelle Towse and production manager John Evans.
"Trainer" was edited by Alex Kuciw via hungry man. A trio from Image Editorial, New York, also figured prominently in the job: colorist Gary Scarpulo, online editor Chuck Shatner and audio mixer Jamie Kreiger.
The spot will air throughout the summer on cable stations in Michigan.
