Dealing' days

For the first time in many years, I was not called by any ad agencies to help with their Year End Sales Events. Or their Super Bowl Jackoffaganza. 

I wouldn't have been able to participate as I have been gainfully employed (as a freelancer) at Dollar Shave Club for the last 8 months. That gig is coming to an end, meaning I will be back to shameless promotion and self-pimping.

This may come as a surprise but I actually prefer the cheesy low rent Sales Events as opposed to their penthouse dwelling brethren, Super Bowl assignments. 

The bar is much lower. The competition is non-existent (no one wants to do these schlocky dealer ads). And the work is subject to less stupid corporate scrutiny. 

Seriously when you think about it, the fact that any advertising is subject to so much corporate scrutiny is a joke in and of itself.  

But I digress.

I bring this up because last week SNL did a great riff on the now iconic red bow on top of Lexus ads that they cart out for every December to Remember. We, the general public, may abhor these ads, but I'll tell you who loves them: dealers. 

They live for this stuff.

Years ago, when I was managing the Jaguar account for Young & Rubicam, now RLYGLGI&R, we managed to convince the dealers that we should spoof the Lexus ads, and thus ride their coattails. And so our team came up with the Unwrap a Jaguar Sales Event, which I believe is still in use today.

We committed fully to the idea. 

The picture above, for instance, is a sheet of metallic holiday wrapping paper. Dealers gave out rolls of this cool wrapping paper to any customer who came in for a test drive. I believe special credit goes out to Ron Salvo, a very talented art director, who brought this idea to life.

We also shot a slew of TV commercials. None of which I can find on YouTube or the interwebs.

In one spot, we see a married couple pulling up at a 4 way intersection. The camera is inside and locked on the woman, who is driving and the husband, the object of her disdain. 

From their POV, we see a car cross in front of them. It's a Jaguar. And it's sporting a big red bow on the roof.

Another Jaguar crosses from the other direction. And it too has a big red bow.

Finally, there's another Jaguar, with a red bow, that pulls up beside them. Everyone, it seems got a new Jaguar for Christmas. And left the bow on the car for good measure. Everyone except the women observing this odd phenomena.

She turns to her husband, with a look that could kill an already-dead manatee.

This was 18 years ago, so I don't remember all the spots we shot. 

I do however remember one spot (written by Kenny Lee, I think) that the client would not agree to do. But that didn't stop us. Because as we broke for lunch and the account people carted the client off to the catering tent, the creatives stayed behind with the director (Erich Joiner) and quickly, and surreptitiously, knocked this spot out in one or two takes.

Jaguar ended up liking the idea they had already killed (probably cause it was FREE) and ended up running this online, but only after we agreed to replace the word son of a bitch. Doh!

You'll see.