Wieden+Kennedy and TBWA\Chiat\Day topped the field of agency nominees for this year’s primetime commercial Emmy Award. W+K, Portland, turned out two of the six nominated spots: Old Spice Body Wash’s “Questions” directed by Tom Kuntz of MJZ; and Chrysler’s “Born of Fire” directed by Samuel Bayer of Serial Pictures.
Meanwhile TBWA\Chiat\Day saw its Los Angeles office score with Nissan LEAF’s “Polar Bear” directed by Daniel Kleinman of Epoch Films and London production house Rattling Snake. TBWA\Chiat\Day New York registered with McDonald’s “Baby” helmed by MJZ’s Fredrik Bond.
Ogilvy New York garnered a nomination for American Express’ “Conan-India” directed by Bryan Buckley of Hungry Man.
And Carmichael Lynch, Minneapolis, earned an Emmy nom on the strength of Subaru’s “Baby Driver” directed by Jake Scott of RSA.
Normally there are five nominated commercials in the running for the primetime Emmy. But for the second consecutive year, a tie in judges’ voting resulted in an additional nominee.
All of the 2011 primetime Emmy Award nominees were announced this morning at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences headquarters in North Hollywood.
Awards spice
Also for the second straight year, an Old Spice commercial directed by Kuntz for W+K copped an Emmy nomination. Last year, Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” not only was nominated for but also wound up winning the primetime Emmy.
“Questions” is a follow-up spot which asks ladies if their man should smell like an Old Spice man as we see “The Man,” played with plenty of bravado and humor by ex-football player Isaiah Mustafa, log rolling on a river, walking on water, baking a cake in a dream kitchen he built, and swan diving into a hot tub which has its walls give way to reveal him on a motorcycle.
Nearly all of the creatives from W+K were the same on last year’s Emmy-winning “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” and this year’s Emmy-nominated “Questions”: executive creative directors Mark Fitzloff and Susan Hoffman; creative directors Jason Bagley and Eric Baldwin; art directors/copywriters Craig Allen and Eric Kallman; and executive producer Ben Grylewicz. W+K’s producer on “Questions” was Lindsay Reed. (Erin Goodsell was agency producer on “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.”)
Carlos Arias of Rock Paper Scissors edited “Questions.”
Super Bowl anthem
Fittingly the biggest event on TV, the Super Bowl, yielded an Emmy-nominated commercial, Chrysler’s “Born of Fire,” two minutes helmed and shot by Bayer which played as much as an anthem for Detroit as it did for Chrysler itself. In some respects the sought after economic comeback of the Motor City is intertwined with that of Chrysler as we see gritty urban image–some reflecting hard times–yet still feel an attitude of perseverance and survival in the face of adversity. Also captured are city landmarks, hustle and bustle, a sense of emergence, and a feeling of determination among people in Detroit. We also eventually see Eminem driving a Chrysler 200, with all the action playing to the strains of his music from 8 Mile.
“What does this city know about luxury, huh?” the narrator asks. “What does a town that’s been to hell and back know about the finer things in life? Well, I’ll tell you–more than most. You see, it’s the hottest fires that make the hardest steel.
“Because when it comes to luxury, it’s as much about where it’s from as who it’s for. Now, we’re from America, but this isn’t New York City or the Windy City or Sin City, and we’re certainly no one’s Emerald City.”
Feedback was overwhelmingly positive about the spot and its “Imported from Detroit” mantra/tagline.
The W+K team included creative directors Aaron Allen and Joe Staples, art director Jimm Lasser, copywriters Fitzloff, Joe Staples, Kevin Jones, Greg Rutter and Dan Kroeger, and producer Bob Wendt.
Editor was Tommy Harden of Joint Editorial.
Meltdown
A polar bear on a melting ice flow escapes his natural habitat to seek refuge in the big city. Adapting isn’t easy as he wanders aimlessly, seeking shelter, looking for sustenance. Outside of chance, brief encounters with a butterfly and a raccoon, our protagonist has no friend in sight–until he comes upon a man walking up his driveway to get into the Nissan LEAF electric vehicle. The bear hugs the man in a show of appreciation for his ecologically minded choice of vehicle.
“Polar Bear” was conceived by a TBWA\Chiat\Day L.A. creative ensemble which included: Lee Clow, global director of Media Arts; Rob Schwartz, chief creative officer; Chris Adams and Margaret Keene, group creative directors; Chris Lynch and Blake Kidder, art directors/associate creative directors; Ken Papanduros and Patrick Almaguer, copywriters/associate creative directors; and Richard O’Neill, producer/director of integrated production.
Kleinman directed, with visual effects by MPC (The Moving Picture Company). Editors were Steve Gandolfi and Isaac Chen of Cut+Run.
“Baby” themes
Meanwhile TBWA\Chiat\Day New York scored an Emmy nomination for McDonald’s “Baby” which shows a man circling his car repeatedly through a McDonald’s drive-thru in the early morning hours, in hushed tones giving his order piecemeal for breakfast, then in his last pass paying and picking up his Egg McMuffin and coffee–behavior explained by the fact that he doesn’t want to wake up his baby who’s in a carseat, lulled to slumber by the constantly moving automobile.
For this charming spot, director Bond collaborated with a TBWA\Chiat\Day N.Y. contingent that included chief creative officer Mark Figliulo, copywriter Erik Fahrenkopf, art director Anthony Decarolis, executive producer Matt Bijarchi, and David Fisher who is sr. producer, Media Arts.
Editor was Gavin Cutler of Mackenzie Cutler, New York.
Also with “baby” in the title is Subaru’s “Baby Driver” from Carmichael Lynch and directed by RSA’s Jake Scott. This Emmy-nominated spot too tugs at the heartstrings as we see a father giving his toddler girl instructions on how to drive–she’s sitting behind the steering wheel and isn’t tall enough to look out the windshield. The camera cuts away to him outside the car and then back to the girl–who’s now a teenager–in the driver’s seat. Clearly we’ve been seeing this teen as her father still sees her–as his little girl. As she backs the car out of the driveway, a voiceover informs us that the parent knew this day would come–that’s why he bought a Subaru.
Chief creative officer Jim Nelson served as copywriter for Carmichael Lynch. Randy Hughes was group creative director/art director and Brynn Hausmann the agency executive producer.
Editor was Rick Lawley of The Whitehouse.
Conan
And rounding out this year’s field of nominees is “Conan-India” in which Conan O’Brien sojourns to India to get the finest silk, weave it and then dye it in a river to create what turns out to be the finest red curtain imaginable for his late night talk show. Indeed, “if you’re really serious about entertainment, every detail counts,” a mantra which segues to using an American Express card to “take charge of your entertainment.”
Hungry Man’s Buckley directed for Ogilvy. Agency creative directors on the job were Lars Bastholm, Chris Mitton, Jon Wagner and Dustin Duke.
Editors were Chris Franklin and Christina Rackoff of Big Sky Editorial, New York.
Buckley, Ogilvy and American Express have an Emmy Award pedigree. Back in 2007, the Buckley-helmed American Express commercial “Animals” starring Ellen Degeneres for Ogilvy won the primetime Emmy.
15th anniversary
This is the 15th year of the annual primetime commercial Emmy.
The winner of the 2011 spot Emmy will be announced and honored during the Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony on Sept. 10 in Los Angeles.
The primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, broadcast live on Fox TV, will be held on Sept. 18 at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles.
Here are the six nominated commercials:
