Martin Krejci of Stink Productions directed this U.S. Postal Service spot in which a young girl sees a hippopotamus and is immediately smitten. Her parents pick up on that and rely on the postal service to deliver hippo-themed surprises ordered online to delight their daughter–until she becomes infatuated by another member of the animal kingdom.
The spot is part of a campaign from McCann New York which underscores that the USPS delivers more e-commerce packages during the holidays than anyone else–roughly 16 billion cards, letters and packages.
Credits
Client United States Postal Service Agency McCann New York Eric Silver, North American chief creative officer; Tom Murphy, Sean Bryan, NY chief creative officers; Patrick Clarke, executive creative director; Lizzie Wilson, sr. art director; Tali Gumbiner, sr. copywriter; Tori Nygren, copywriter; Nathy Aviram, chief production officer; Donna McCracken, sr. producer. Production Stink Productions Martin Krejci, director. Editorial Big Sky Chris Franklin, editor. Visual Effects Big Sky VFX Ryan Sears, lead artist. Post Company 3 Tim Masick, colorist. Music “I want a hippopotamus for Christmas” by Gayla Peevey Audio Post Sonic Union Steve Rosen, engineer.
At the heart of this campaign for Pay.UK Current Account Switch Service (CASS) is a playful yet relatable narrative, brought to life in the hero TV commercial, “Blind Date.” Directed by Rosie May Bird Smith of Biscuit Filmworks for agency House 337, the spot follows a woman nervously meeting her blind date, only to discover the person waiting for her is someone you definitely wouldn’t want to meet on a blind date. The voiceover reassures: ”Blind dates. They’re a bit like switching bank accounts. You don’t want any surprises. That’s why we guarantee there won’t be any when you switch with the Current Account Switch Service.”
“Everyone knows the pain of a bad date, the gut-churning realization you’ve texted your boss instead of your mate, and being stuck next to someone eating the world’s stinkiest lunch,” said Ross Newton, creative director, House 337, who added, “Life is a minefield of unwanted surprises, so coming up with the campaign idea was the easy part. The real challenge was deciding which situations to include and which to ditch. Sadly, these scenarios are all too relatable for us all, myself included.”
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