Two teen skateboarders are at the skate park. One asks the other if he has any “smokes.” His buddy responds no, presumably because cigarettes are unhealthy.
The real reason, though, is that he’s wearing skinny jeans and only has room in his pockets for one item–a cellphone, which he answers, while it’s still in his jeans.
The bottom-line message, though, is whatever the reason, it makes sense not to smoke.
This U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) PSA–part of “The Real Cost” campaign from agency FCB New York–was directed by Anton Visser via production house Supply&Demand. Visser is with South Africa production company Velocity Films.
Credits
Client U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Agency FCB New York Lee Garfinkel, CEO; Gary Resch, executive creative officer; Megan Williams, creative director/art director; Matt Anderson, director of content creation; Maria Garelli, producer. Production Supply&Demand Anton Visser, director (from Velocity Films, South Africa); Ari Hakim, producer; Tim Case, founder, manging partner; Charles Salice, president, managing partner; Jeff Scruton, exec producer, managing director; Rika Osenberg, sr. head of production; Jo Willems, DP; Deborah Evans, production designer. Editorial NO6 NY Jason MacDonald, editor; Corina Dennison, exec producer. VFX The Mill New York Colin Blaney, Mike Pulan, VFX producers; Eliza Pelham Randall, VFX supervisor. Music Groove Guild NY Paul Riggio & Janice Brown, music producers, Al Risi, music supervisor
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.
