Denver ad agency Cactus created this spot, “Mayhem Scratch,” for longtime client Colorado Lottery
With a nod in part to bowling-themed films such as The Big Lebowski and Kingpin, the new ad opens with contestants in a local bowling tournament learning that runner-up prize-winners go home with the new scratch-off games from the Colorado Lottery. Thus there’s a major incentive to tank as the bowlers do their best to fail–from throwing balls into the gutter, off the wall and even the ceiling, antics accompanied by deadpan play by play from sports commentators.
“By dropping Mayhem Scratch games into the middle of a bowling league championship, we were able to illustrate the allure of instant cash and create a little mayhem of our own,” said Cactus creative director Shea Tullos. “No bowlers were harmed during the filming of this commercial.”
Brendan Beachman directed via production company Content/s.
Credits
Client Colorado Lottery Agency Cactus, Denver, Colo. Norm Shearer, partner, chief creative officer; Brian Watson, VP, executive creative director; Shea Tullos, creative director; Will Patterson, sr. copywriter; Hailey Simon, sr. art director; Martha Douglas, sr. integrated producer. Production Company Content/s, Littleton, Colo. Brendan Beachman, director; Colin Arndt, DP; Leslie Allen, exec producer; Daniell Taff, line producer. Postproduction & Color 11 Dollar Bill, Boulder, Colo. Wayde Samuel, editor; Clark Jackson, colorist; Brittany Horwege, producer; Lisa Effres, exec producer. Audio Post Coupe Studios, Boulder, Colo. Greg McRae, sound engineer; Aaron Lasko, producer. Music Marmoset Music, Portland, Ore., licensing of “The Bowling Song” by Joe Montgomery
How do you top one of the most viral brand videos ever made? Spoiler alert: you canโt. 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 โClubโ that people would love to join while showcasing Dollar Shave Clubโs products and embracing the weird. From script to direction and post, Seckler--an alum of SHOOTโs 2021 New Directors Showcase--was invited to help sculpt that vision.
The result is this โWelcome to the Clubโ 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."
โThe Clubโ 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.
