Clay Weiner of Biscuit Filmworks directed this package of spots which take us to the family dinner table where the father, played by comedian Will Ferrell, is oblivious to everything except his smartphone. Overdosing on social media, he’s of no use during what should be quality family time.
In this ad titled “Cat Filter” we see kids seemingly in mourning, talking about how they miss their dad. The wife is also sad. But we find out that poppa is alive and well. It’s just that his presence is missed as he’s playing with a filter that makes him look like a cat on his mobile device.
Creative for the “Device Free Dinner” campaign for client Common Sense Media came out of Goodby Silverstein & Partners.
“We know that kids who have dinners at the table without devices get better grades, have healthier eating habits and are more socialized than kids who have devices at the table,” said Margaret Johnson, partner and CCO, GS&P. “So we enlisted some celebrity help to show the importance of having device-free dinners.”
Credits
Client Common Sense Media Agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners Jeff Goodby, Rich Silverstein, co-chairmen; Margaret Johnson, chief creative officer; Hanna Wittmark, art director; Kate Baynham, copywriter; Tod Puckett, director of production; Olivia Baker, producer. Production Biscuit Filmworks Clay Weiner, director; Shawn Lacy, partner/managing director; Holly Vega, exec producer; Lisa Stockdale, producer; Mercedes Allen-Sarria, Rachel Glaub, heads of production; Doug Chamberlain, DP; Jeff Higinbotham, production designer. Editorial Arcade Edit Sean LaGrange, editor; Tessa Malsam, assistant editor; Kirsten Thon-Webb, head of production; Crissy DeSimone, exec producer; Adam Parker, producer. Online/VFX Timber Jonah Hall, Kevin Lau, creative directors/partners; Sabrina Elizondo, exec producer; Melody Alexander, head of production; Chris Homel, lead Flame artist; Brandon Harden, Flame assistant; Emily Avoujageli, sr. producer. Color Gregory Reese, colorist; Thatcher Peterson, exec producer; Diane Valera, color producer. Sound Design/Mix Lime Studios Joel Waters, Mixer; Stephen Fredericks, assistant mixer; Susie Boyajan, exec producer. Music Butter Max Schad (BMI), composer; Annick Mayer, exec producer. Butter Cuts (BMI), publisher/label.
How do you top one of the most viral brand videos ever made? Spoiler alert: you can’t. But when Dollar Shave Club tapped Zack Seckler to direct a new campaign to revive the absurdist humor of its iconic launch video, he knew he had a rare opportunity to create something special.
The brief was simple: introduce the concept of a physical “Club” that people would love to join while showcasing Dollar Shave Club’s products and embracing the weird. From script to direction and post, Seckler--an alum of SHOOT’s 2021 New Directors Showcase--was invited to help sculpt that vision.
The result is this “Welcome to the Club” spot which invites us to join a unique, seemingly exclusive but in reality an accessible and affordable fraternity of Dollar Shave Club members. But you need to know the password or more accurately, the two-word phrase--"shave money."
“The Club” campaign brings the brand back to its humorous roots, reflecting a new chapter after being acquired by Nexus Capital Management from Unilever in late 2023. The work takes Dollar Shave Club back to its disruptive beginnings and what made the brand a viral sensation from its inception in 2011.
