Grammy-winning artist Alanis Morissette and UScellular have come together for the brand’s biggest campaign to date, underscoring the irony of cellular phones–which ostensibly are designed to connect us but often serve to disconnect us from each other in real life.
Referencing Morissette’s hit song “Ironic,” this :60–from The Martin Agency, and directed by Dan Opsal of Hungry Man–shares the many ironies of modern-day phone usage. For instance, when a family is asked to observe a phone-free meal at a restaurant, a girl notes that the menu has to be accessed via smartphone.
However, the ultimate irony is a positive one–UScellular, a phone company, asking us to curtail phone usage, promote positive digital health and come together as people, refusing to be distracted by technology to the detriment of personal relationships.
Credits
Client UScellular Agency The Martin Agency Danny Robinson, CEO; Jerry Hoak, chief creative officer; Ashley Marshall, executive creative director; Allison Rude, group creative director; Elliot Nordstrom, Allie Nordstrom, creative directors; Elizabeth Daniel, sr. copywriter; Blair Seward, sr. art director; Marisa Perazzelli, strategy director; Allie Ballard, sr. strategist; Nicole Lederman, executive producer; Arielle Blais, sr. content producer. Production Company Hungry Man Dan Opsal, director; Kim Dellara, partner/exec producer; Franchesca McDowell, exec producer; Buzzy Cancilla, unit production manager; Christopher Hoggard, production supervisor; Eric Topp, 1st AD; Rob Topp, 2nd AD; Damian Acevedo, DP. Editorial Arcade Ali Mao, editor; Lucas Ferreira, assistant editor; Ellen Lavery, producer. Color Grade Royal Muster Roslyn Di Sisto, sr. colorist; Thatcher Peterson, exec producer; Diane Valera, producer. Post/VFX Shape and Light Cara Lehr, managing director; Jade Fuller, Michelle Andre, producers; Emily Irvine, creative director/Flame lead. Sound Sonic Union Rob Ballingall, mixer/sound designer; MK Valentino, exec producer; Gina Petrarca, 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.
