His Reynoldship

I'm not big on hero worship. 

I've worked with and for some of the legendary icons in the ad business, Lee Clow,  Steve Hayden, Joe Pytka and Michel Gondry, among many others, but never succumbed to cringey sycophancy.

I like to think that even if I were standing at the urinal next to David Ogilvy or Bill Bernbach, I'd remain unfazed and not give in to any fanboy-ism.

It's just not who I am.

Which makes my admiration of Ryan Reynolds even more noteworthy and shocking. Because if you hadn't noticed Mr. Reynolds, I''ll afford him a proper prefix, is turning the ad world on its head. 

And doing so in a good way. Not by making banner ads bigger. Or by creating elaborate internet scavenger hunts. Or making Tacky Tock videos, seen only by dance happy 13 year old girls. Or any of the nonsense that passes for brand building advertising these days.

He's revolutionizing the business by bringing entertainment back to the TV medium, still and by far, the most effective tool of mass communication known to man, woman, child or confused CMO.

His foray into our world started when he purchased a majority share in Aviation Gin. A brand no one had ever heard of until Sir Ryan had the good sense to leverage his celebrity status in a way Mathew McConaunghey, George Foreman, or Marie Osmond never had.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjDCH6SiMgo

Note the tongue planted firmly in cheek. 

Note the unexpected plot twists.

Note the devil may care attitude and calling people who don't drink gin, "Assholes."

Having rebranded and successfully planted Aviation gin into our alcohol lexicon, Lord Reynolds sold his share of the company for an astounding $620 million. As any good serial entrepreneur would do, he poured that money into a new venture Mint Mobile and has brought that same joie de vivre to the telecommunications industry, which hasn't seen anything remotely entertaining since Gerry Graf and company were pimping Sprint back in the early 2000 oughts.

Maybe you've seen the latest commercial offerings from his Ryanness. Maybe you haven't. But fear not and thank me for saving you valuable Googling time.

This latest spot checks so many boxes for me, it's hard to know where to start. For openers it literally takes the piss out of what so many of us lend so much misplaced reverence to: the making of advertising. People these are commercials, lighten up. And soak in the goodness as Ryan obliterates the fourth wall and literally mouths the words coming from his co-star.

That's right, this commercial doesn't have one celebrity. It has two. Again, throwing caution to the wind and breaking our own stupid self imposed conventions.

Finally, savor the pitch perfect performance of the reluctant spokeswoman, who does not smile, who does add any color and who is actively negative every second she appears on screen. 

I can't tell you how many times we pitched the Unwilling Spokesperson Idea. And never in my 44 years did one client take us up on the notion.

Fuck You Ryan Reynolds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCfIcUpxdZk