Samuel Adams is all-in on Super Bowl 2021, leveraging the moment to introduce a new line of beer, Wicked, to drinkers everywhere.
For Sam Adams to play in the Big Game marketing space for the first time in brand history at this scale, they’re horsing around with a certain big beer conglomerate in this spot–”Your Cousin From Boston Frees the Clydesdales”–directed by Matt Aselton of Arts & Sciences for agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners.
The spot, which will run in the Boston and New York markets during the Big Game, opens with a pitch-perfect misdirect of a typical Clydesdale commercial–orchestral score, antique carriage, and majestic draft horses. An unseen figure pulls the pin from the carriage hitch, sending a team of galloping Clydesdales stampeding through a quaint New England town. “Whoops,” says Your Cousin From Boston.
The commercial–which stars real life Massachusetts townies-turned-actors Greg Hoyt and Owen Burke–is authentic Boston from its backwards cap to its work boots.
Credits
Client The Boston Beer Company/Samuel Adams Agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco Margaret Johnson, chief creative officer; AJ Warren, Brett Beaty, Joshua Hacohen, associate creative directors; Bonnie Wan, partner, head of brand strategy; Stephanie Bousquet, director of brand strategy; Marisa Perazzelli, sr. brand strategist; Leila Gage, head of broadcast production; Matt Flaker, executive broadcast producer; Stephanie DeNatale, executive producer; Nick Goldsmith, producer. Production Company Arts & Sciences, West Hollywood, Calif. Matt Aselton, director; Toby Irwin, DP; Marc Marrie, managing partner/exec producer; Mal Ward, managing director/partner; Christa Skotland, head of production; Zoe Odlum, exec producer. Editorial Arcade Edit Geoff Hounsell, editor; Ryan Andrus, assistant editor; Kristen Thon-Webb, sr. producer; Crissy DeSimone, exec producer. Audio/Sound Design Lime Studios Michael Anastasi, sound designer; Sam Casas, audio engineer; Susie Boyajan, exec producer; Kayla Mashburn, producer. Music Butter Music Annick Mayer, music exec producer; Stone Irr, music producer. VFX Framestore Matt Pascuzzi, VFX lead; Maura Hurley, sr. producer; Nathaniel Cabra, production coordinator; Dez Macleod-Veilleux, exec producer; Avery Herzog, Elaina Brillantes, Euna Kho, Greg Gaskins, Kane Herd, Zavier Mojica, Ryan Ninko, Raul Ortego, compositing team. (Toolbox: Nuke, Flame) Color Company 3 Tom Poole, colorist; Alexandra Lubrano, producer.
After losing part of his right leg due to cancer, Terry Fox campaigned to raise national awareness and funding for cancer research by running his Marathon of Hope, a cross-Canada 42-km daily run, on his prosthetic leg. Fox, who died in 1981, is a national hero. His image will be on Canada’s new $5 bill.
In this two-minute video titled “Finish It,” the Marathon of Hope is recreated. It’s all done in one take, and it features an actor/marathon runner who uses a prosthesis on the same leg as Fox. CGI was deployed to make him look more like Fox. To further ensure the actor represented Fox accurately, not only did the actor and team watch and study many videos of Terry, but Terry’s brothers, Fred and Darrel, coached the actor on Terry’s running style and mannerisms. They also created a copy of Terry’s prosthesis for the actor to use for the shoot.
The message is clear. As the Marathon of Hope now marks its 45th anniversary, we now have the opportunity to “Finish It” for Fox, raising money and awareness to get a cure for cancer over the finish line, completing the work that Fox started. The public service film starts with Fox on the marathon run, eventually joined by a crowd of other dedicated runners from all walks of life who take over the race.
Mark Zibert directed via production company Scouts Honour for Toronto agency Diamond. The video features a never-before-heard version of the song “Courage” from Canadian band The Tragically Hip.
“We wanted to create a campaign that captures the magnitude of Terry Fox’s legacy while driving meaningful action,” said Peter Ignazi, chief creative officer at Diamond. “By revisiting the Marathon of Hope with such care and reverence, we aimed to reignite Terry’s mission and... Read More
