A regional restaurant chain typically offers a TV advertising menu consisting of smiling waitresses and appetizing shots of food. Sometimes the entrée is spinning. Perhaps there’s a quick-cut glimpse of tomato slices flying through the air. And watch for a close-up of steam rising off a hot meal.
But for its new client Elmer’s Restaurants, Portland, Ore.-based agency Borders Perrin And Norrander (BPN) decided to instead show us an appetizing shot from inside a person’s mouth, featuring a talking uvula. Picture the "spokesgland" as a human head hanging upside down from the roof of a mouth. Yum, yum!
In "Wiggly," Mr. Uvula is on a caffeine-induced jag. "Let me say this about coffee," he relates. "I’ve had a few cups and those Elmer’s folks sure keep it coming, don’t they? Always with the refill. Got me all wiggly and stuff. Perky little waitresses scampering about.
"Coffee, coffee, coffee," continues the uvula. "Drink your coffee—there are people sleeping in India. Did I ever tell you about my family? Yo, pancreas, what’s going on? Talk to me, don’t leave me hanging. Hey bladder, if I’m awake, you’re awake."
We leave the mouth to the sight of a supered Elmer’s logo accompanied by a voiceover that simply relates, "Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner."
The :30 is part of a four-spot talking uvula campaign that, according to BPN, has generated a positive response. Agency creative director Terry Schneider explained the rationale for the agency departing from the food-lensing norm. "People by now have a pretty good idea of what a hamburger looks like. So we decided to focus on making the most of our little thirty-second intrusion into the consumer’s life, and to create something memorable and interesting."
The BPN ensemble consisted of Schneider, who also served as art director; copywriter John Heinsma; and executive producer Karen Coster who produced the campaign.
The spots were directed by Vance Malone of Food Chain Films, Portland. DP was Tim McGilvrey. Editor was Kelly McClean, with George Mitchell serving as online editor and Jim Barrett as colorist, all of DownStream, Portland. Sound designer/audio mixer was DownStream’s Lance Limbocker.
Elmer’s has restaurants in Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Alaska. The campaign has only aired in the Portland market thus far.
