CarMax pays homage to the small inventions which can make life a bit more enjoyable, providing a measure of comfort and relief–like the built-in wine holder for showers, the slanket (blanket with sleeves) or the Saucemoto. Akin to those breakthroughs are CarMax innovations like the 24-hour test drive proposed by Stephanie or the online means to let customers shop for vehicles from home as crafted by tech experts.
Life and car buying have indeed changed over the past year. This “Inventors” spot directed by Guy Shelmerdine of SMUGGLER for The Martin Agency shows how CarMax has made a leap forward with its inventions which also include the 30-day Money Back Guarantee.
Credits
Client CarMax Agency The Martin Agency Jerry Hoak, EVP, executive creative director; Ashley Marshall, SVP, executive creative director; Anne Marie Hite, SVP, group creative director; Lindsey King, creative director/art director; Allison Rude, creative director/copywriter; Tasha Dean, SVP, head of integrated production; Lauren Galanides, producer; Molly McCarvill, jr. producer; Whitney Keller, strategic planner. Production SMUGGLER Guy Shelmerdine, director; Allison Kunzman, exec producer; Alex Hughes, head of production; Donald Taylor, producer. Editorial Friendshop! Ben Suenaga, editor/partner; Melissa Mapes, managing director/partner; Francisca Wistuba, assistant editor; Rebecca Bolde, Paul Fiterson, Danny Princz, After Effects; Derina Doorley, Flame artist; Adam Roe, producer. Postproduction/VFX SuperJoy Brian Creech, head of production; Katherine Leatherwood, sr. producer; Chris Hagen, sr. Flame/finishing artist; Ralph Scaglione, compositing; Lyly Nguyen, content creator; Brandon Hiner, assistant editor. Audio Post Rainmaker Michael O’Connor, engineer/mixer; Isaac Whalen, producer. Color Company 3 LA Sean Coleman, colorist; Matt Moran, sr. producer. Music Supervision The Teenage Diplomat Buzzy Cohen, managing director; Quinn Donnell, music supervisor/producer.
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.
