You pretend you’re working when your boss comes into the room–”it’s what you do.” That axiom proves true in this case–set in a medieval dungeon–as a warlord wants information from a prisoner who’s presumably being tortured. Those administering this dark means of persuasion promise their employer that they will soon break their captive guest.
As soon as the boss leaves the room, though, the prisoner is seen serving as a makeshift net in a ping pong game between a pair of the would-be torturers. When the boss is away, the workers will indeed play.
Wayne McClammy of Hungry Man directed this offbeat comedic spot, titled “Prisoner,” which is part of GEICO’s ongoing “It’s What You Do” campaign from The Martin Agency.
Credits
Client GEICO Agency The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va. Joe Alexander, chief creative officer; Wade Alger, Steve Bassett, group creative directors; Sean Riley, creative director; Ken Marcus, copywriter; Brett Alexander, executive producer; Heather Tanton, broadcast producer; Coleman Sweeney, jr. broadcast producer. Production Hungry Man Wayne McClammy, director; Kevin Byrne, managing partner/exec producer; Dan Duffy, exec producer/head of sales; Mino Jarjuora, Nancy Hacohen, exec producers; Dave Bernstein, producer; Shelly Silverman, production supervisor. Editorial Rock Paper Scissors Christjan Jordan, editor; Pieter Viljoen, assistant editor; Angela Dorian, exec producer; Jared Thomas, producer. Post MPC Mark Gethin, colorist. Animation/VFX MPC Elexis Stearn, exec producer; Juliet Tierney, sr. producer; Nicole Saccardi, jr. producer; Paul O’Shea, creative director; Zach Tucker, CG supervisor; Blake Huber, Flame lead; James Steller, Nuke artist; Ben Persons, Flame artist. Music/Sound Design HUM Jeff Koz, executive creative director; Dan Hart, sound designer; Haim Mazar, music/composer; Scott Glenn, creative director; Debbi Landon, exec producer; Caroline O’Sullivan, producer. Audio Post Rainmaker Studios Jeff McManus, engineer/mixer.
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.
