Andy Garcia makes his debut as a commercial director with a new campaign for Whirlpool that will air across Latin America and South America. The campaign, produced by Dark Light Pictures, focuses on how easy Whirlpool appliances are to use and introduces the tagline “Designed to simplify your life.”
Garcia directs and stars in the commercials. In one, he plays an amorous husband who happily discovers his wife in the laundry room after the kids are asleep. Another spot concerns a bumbling father and son fixing breakfast for the mom with Garcia playing all the parts. The spots showcase Garcia’s skill as a director of realistic, story-driven humor.
“Andy brought a lot of charm and humor to the commercials,” said Dark Light Pictures executive producer Vince Arcaro. “He also did an excellent job of delivering the message of the campaign from a strategic advertising perspective. He had a lot of enthusiasm for this project.”
Although the project is Garcia’s first as a commercial director, he has considerable experience in working behind the camera. His directorial credits include The Lost City, a 2005 film (in which he also starred) about a Cuban nightclub owner whose family becomes embroiled in the Cuban Revolution. He has also had the opportunity to work with and learn from some of the world’s best feature film directors (Francis Ford Coppola, Sydney Lumet) and cinematographers (Gordon Willis, Conrad Hall Sr.).
The campaign is the first for Whirlpool employing a celebrity spokesperson. According to Mariana Gonzalez Ericsson, Whirlpool’s regional marketing general manager, Latin American region, Garcia was selected because of his enormous popularity in Spanish-speaking markets, and because he represents the brand’s family values.
Using Garcia both in front of and behind the camera was an inspired choice, Gonzalez Ericsson observes. “Andy was so into the story and understood so quickly what we were trying to communicate that we felt immediately that he was the best choice to direct,” she says. “And, he did an amazing job.”
Luanne Allgood of Oolala! represents Andy Garcia in the U.S. Hispanic market and the Southeast.
Credits
Titles: Laundry, Surprise Breakfast
Client: Whirlpool
Production: Dark Light Pictures. Andy Garcia, director; Vince Arcaro, executive producer.
Editorial: Finish Films. Agustin DiCittorio, editor.
Post/VFX: DaOcho. Gabriel Mongardi, art director.
Sound/Music: La Pirada. Juan Carlos Varela, composer.
About Dark Light Pictures
Over the past 17 years Dark Light Pictures has established itself as a problem solving resource for television advertisers, motion picture marketing teams, and producers of feature films and television specials.
As a leading producer of television commercials Dark Light has created effective, imaginative advertising for some of the most influential advertisers in the country including The Coca Cola Company, Budweiser, Tylenol, Reebok, AT&T, UPS, Perrier, Boeing, Unilever, US Coast Guard, Honda, and The University of Southern California.
In the world of motion picture advertising, Dark Light has produced and filmed live action material for countless teaser trailer and motion poster campaigns including War of the Worlds, Mission Impossible III, The Other Guys, and Salt.
For more information, call (323) 460-2077 or visit www.darklightpictures.com.
