ExxonMobil "Helmet" (2015) :39 (USA)

Just getting around to posting this snoozefest that arrived in our inbox late last year. Exxon Mobil had some tax write-off money to spend before the year closed so hey, why not make some throw away ads "for the kids," that rival Ad Council ads in blandness.

The ahem, big idea, falls into the "imagine a world without ____" category, not to be confused with "don't you wish everything was made with ____" or "what are you going to do with all your old ____ not that new ____ is on the market?" Yeah this is in the top three brands of boring ad ideas all right. The "let's shit this out in five minutes and then go see Spectre over lunch" kind of crap. At the Creative Circus, they called it first thought. Hell, I've had CD's who shamelessly stole executions from movie trailers who would have called this garbage and they are right. It's like everyone in this spot is on valium. No one gives a toss. It's 40 seconds of paint peeling. Here's me riffing off the top of my head in sixty seconds how this could have been a more interesting spot: Open on a kid skating on a half pipe. He completely sucks. He goes up the ramp, attempts to land, and realizes he's not going to make it. As he's falling off the other side, likely to land on his head, in slow motion, we'd hear his thoughts about the importance of wearing a helmet and, who invented helmets anyway? Thats's right. Engineers. But what bothers me the most about this spot is that engineers make both skate ramps and helmets.

In fact, here's a ten minute piece of content for Engineering is Elementary, for the Museum of Science, Boston which actually gives me a hint of what engineers do, in this case to make helmets for roller derby enthusiasts. It's for more or less the same audience, albeit in a different context.

Yes it's long as it's meant to be a "news segment," not an ad, but at least it gives me pertinent information without trying too hard.

Client: Exxon Mobil
Agency: BBDO, New York
Creative Group Heads: Greg Ketchum, Tom Godici
Producer: Brad Powell
Creative Directors: Mark Girand, Paul Laffy
Copywriter: Ryan Lawrence
Art Director: James Kuczynski
BBDO Music Producer: Rani Vaz
Account Persons: Jill Kramer, David Ritter, John Chleborad
Production Company: Radical Media, New York
Director: Steve Miller
Director of Photography: Eric Schultz
Music: PULL, New York
Composer: Mitch Davis
Executive Producer: Scott Brittingham
Editorial: Friendshop!, New York
Editor: Tim Wilson
Online: Co3, New York
Colorist: Tom Poole
Audio Post: Heard City, New York
Engineer: Eric Warzecha