Not sure if your mom’s turned into a finance bro? PNC Bank can help.

If she tracks stocks on multiple monitors at the dinner table, saying stuff like “the gains are pumping” and “futures don’t sleep in the after hours,” then she’s clearly entered bro country.

Developed with Arnold Worldwide, the work promises viewers they don’t have to go to ridiculous lengths to manage their finances. Naturally, PNC’s casts itself as an ally, recommending less aggressive (and absurd) options. Ads reinforce the bank’s “Brilliantly Boring” positioning.

Mom and Dad in “Finance Bro” appeared with improv troupe The Groundlings. On set, that background yielded “an ever-flowing fountain of ideas and performances,” Arnold ECD James Bray tells Muse.

It’s basically a lifestyle pitch that—in tone if not particulars—resembles amusing efforts from NerdWallet and others in the space.

Next, a time-travel tale, complete with a knight who’s seen better days:

“Sir Ronald is a character our hero picked up during his time travels,” Bray explains. The temporal tinkerer “Is still working out the kinks, which is why he found himself in the 16th Century instead of where he actually needed to be.”

In the here and now: “We’re not here to shame audiences for experiencing financial FOMO. Or the questionable money moves that ensue,” says Bray. “We’re here to extend a light-hearted hand to show them there’s a far less risky way to manage their money.”

Anonymous content director Tim Godsall—adept at quirky comedy—stages the scenarios in classic SNL sketch style. Thankfully, the commercials are funnier than most of those.

The campaign breaks this week, with TV, CTV, digital video, social and audio all in the mix.

The post PNC Bank Lampoons Finance Bros and Time Travel first appeared on Muse by Clios.

With over eight years of industry experience, Gonzalo is currently a creative director at Fahrenheit DDB. 

We spent two minutes with Gonzalo to learn more about his background, his creative inspirations and recent work he’s admired. 

Gonzalo, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

I was born in Lima, Peru, and I’m still living here. Although I have plans to work in larger markets, this city has something that is hard to leave behind. It has so many good things and so many horrible things—it feels addictive.

How you first realized you were creative.

I was never the best student nor the worst. But I always did things in a unique way—always my own way. In writing exercises, I created stories that left the teacher completely shocked. The same happened when it came to singing songs. There was no way I wouldn’t change the lyrics to all of them. I always knew I was a creative person.

A person you idolized creatively early on.

My parents. My dad was a visual artist who had a unique way of seeing life. He had muscular dystrophy, which made him progressively lose strength. I always saw him inventing tools and machines to solve his physical problems. And my mother is very creative. There’s no one funnier than her. She also writes and sings. My habit of changing lyrics came from her. I’m almost an exact copy of the two of them mixed together.

A moment from high school or college that changed your life.

Once, in school, I got into big trouble. When YouTube was something new, we recorded a very stupid video with some friends, mocking some classmates. We uploaded the video, and soon everyone was sharing the link. The parents of the kids complained, and we were given a very harsh punishment. Despite not saying anything in the video, I was complicit, even sharing a laugh. It was the first time I felt I had caused harm to someone. That experience prompted deep reflection.

A visual artist or band/musician you admire.

Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez. He grew up as a musician during the time of the Cuban Revolution, so his songs are very political, but also very sentimental. One of my favorites is called “Testamento,” in which he sings about all the topics he hadn’t dedicated a song to before. It’s like a mea culpa for not composing enough songs. That song always touches my heart.

A book, movie, TV show or podcast you recently found inspiring.

Recently, I watched a Chilean documentary called The Eternal Memory, which portrays the life of an important journalist who dedicated part of his life to promoting collective memory in Chile, so the people here wouldn’t forget the dictatorship. However, now he is losing his memory due to Alzheimer’s. It’s a deeply emotional film that draws a parallel which I found brilliant.

One of your favorite creative projects you’ve ever worked on. 

AWA: “The Soap That Cleans the Rivers” is one of the projects that makes me feel the most proud. This idea had to be postponed due to the pandemic. It was a huge effort, which makes it even more deserving. It won the first Innovation Lion in the history of Peru.

A recent project you’re proud of.

I’m working on a B2B idea for Corona. We are at the filming stage. The idea is called “Rent Your Sunset.” It’s an initiative where different businesses with a sunset view rent their windows to Corona. Doing so creates a new space for communication, inviting people to enjoy nature.

Someone else’s work that inspired you years ago. 

The work done by Del Campo Saatchi & Saatchi was the first to inspire me. When I began in advertising, the case study from “The Fairest Night” blew my mind.

Someone else’s work you admired lately.

For the past few years, I’ve admired Mihnea Gheorghiu. I love everything he’s done for Diesel, with a lot of consistency, boldness and brilliance.

Your main strength as a creative person.

Obsessiveness. I know many people with exceptional talent, but I doubt there are as many people with the level of obsession that I have.

Your biggest weakness.

My tendency to take on more than I can handle at times. I struggle with the notion that it’s sometimes necessary to let go.

A mentor who helped you navigate the industry.

Today, my biggest mentor is my boss, Sergio Franco. The trust he has placed in me to lead projects and teams has made me feel capable of doing so. He possesses a very strategic and profound view of creativity. It’s something I strive to learn from each day.

How you’re paying it forward with the next generation of creatives.

Being a creativity teacher in different schools is something that gives me immense satisfaction. I think the greatest thing anyone can do is to share what they know without selfishness or pettiness.

What you’d be doing if you weren’t in advertising.

Any other profession that involves creativity or art. Interior design, culinary arts, filmmaking, literature. The beauty of advertising is that it often enables you to explore different worlds.

The post Gonzalo Pazos of Fahrenheit DDB on the Beauty of Advertising first appeared on Muse by Clios.

Back in the day, Liquid Death CEO Mike Cessario and other employees “would lug around a casket they had hollowed out and converted into a cooler,” recalls Andy Pearson, the brand’s VP of creative.

“People at trade shows and live events loved it,” he says. “But it was very DIY.”

That charming bit of history informs LD’s collaboration with YETI, which buries the DIY trappings six feet under.

The companies crafted “a super-legit casket cooler, fueled by all of YETI’s amazing technology,” Pearson says. “This thing is a perfect, beautiful mashup of both our brands.”

LD’s auctioning off the casket through Aug. 30. Bidding starts at $1,500. It can hold about 400 12oz cans of product (minus the ice). Clearly it’s worth every penny.

Remember how the canned water brand’s last wacky auction generated controversy and extra publicity? Good times!

But … what if some folks feel triggered by LD’s funereal falderal?

“If anyone is worried about a premature burial, I would definitely advise against them trying to win the auction,” Person says.

Wise words for another edgy outing from a brand that seeks to entertain while exploiting potentially upsetting themes.

Recent examples include a wet and messy collab with Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, stoner humor from Ozzy Osbourne and this pairing of school kids and cigarettes (starring The Deep from Amazon Prime).

The post Liquid Death’s Casket Cooler Keeps Drinks Cold ‘For an Eternity’ first appeared on Muse by Clios.

We’ve long suspected that some CFOs weren’t actually members of the human race.

NerdWallet proves us right in cute work from Deutsch L.A. that drops today.

The tale ostensibly begins in a swanky penthouse suite, where a chief financial dude in a ghastly toupee offers some advice: “I have one secret to help you build wealth. You need to be careful who you listen to when it comes to financial decisions.”

Soon, he strips off his suit, and so much more, illustrating that in the era of AI, deepfakes and rampant misinformation, investors can never be too careful.

In the end, our moneyman literally goes to pieces. He was just cake all along. Yes, cake. Bet you didn’t see that coming.

Nerdwallet positions itself as an ally, offering an app, website and various products to keep money matters from falling apart.

“While we definitely had fun with the visuals, the core of the idea is actually pretty simple: get people thinking about who they’re trusting when it comes to financial decisions,” says Deutsch creative director Max Pollak.

Division7’s Aircastle—aka Will Beauchamp and Jamie Cussen—provides slick direction, while James Downing (from Suits and Fargo) and Connie Wang (from The Boys) give suitably cheeky performances.

The work tallies by playing on our fears in a playful way, fusing humor and contemporary tropes to make a serious point.

NerdWallet’s become adept at such stylings in recent years. Other examples include this futuristic musical sendup and an encounter with none other than the Count from Sesame Street.

The post NerdWallet Warns: In Finance, Everything’s Not What It Seems first appeared on Muse by Clios.

Sometimes, you don’t need graphic images, pools of blood or screens of stats to make a powerful appeal for gun safety.

A child reaching into a drawer to grab a firearm is all it takes in the :60 below.

Brady: United Against Gun Violence, the Ad Council and Pereira O’Dell created the PSA with Partizan director Martin Stirling.

Portraying the weapon in such a casual fashion feels understated and fresh. The narration—ostensibly by the gun itself—deepens our sense of unease.

It’s especially chilling when the kid—so curious and vulnerable—picks up the pistol.

“We wanted to make that scene impactful by implying the bad outcome and letting the viewer’s imagination fill in the rest,” POD creative director Matt Kappler tells Muse. “The hope is to feel, in that moment, that ‘Family Fire’ is just as much of a threat as a home invader.”

Filming that sequence “was a stressful thing,” he recalls. “Nobody wants to see a child mishandling a gun, even a prop.”

Naturally, the crew was mindful of best practices on set to avoid any chance of deadly mishaps.

“Martin Stirling created an extremely trusting and careful set. And our armorer Mariano was great in providing a prop that felt real in frame but created no actual danger,” Kappler says.

Breaking today, the work falls under the “End Family Fire” banner. In the past year, folks aware of the ads are three times more likely to enquire about safe gun storage than those who’ve never seen the campaign, according to the Ad Council.

“Given our country’s record-level spikes in gun-related deaths and injuries from with the home—including unintentional shootings of children and firearm suicide—it is crucial that first-time gun owners learn how to store their weapons safely,” says Brady president Kris Brown. “By sharing messages on safe firearm storage, we can prevent tragedies.”

The post Kids’ Safety: The Monster at Home Is an Unsecured Handgun first appeared on Muse by Clios.

As if pickleball couldn’t get any more awesome—or loathsome, depending on your POV—now you’ve got a fast-talking auctioneer for a doubles partner.

She’s played by actress Mariana Alves, who goes on and on, hyping Texas restaurant delivery app Favor, which just added local grocery options.

Cue the requisite mention of pitchman John Moschitta. He perfected adland’s quick-patter approach and became a cultural phenomenon in the ’80s and ’90s. But he’s not in Favor’s commercials. So let’s move on.

Preacher developed the campaign with Art Class director Ryan Ebner, who puts Alves in living-room and playground scenarios, too.

I’ll order if she shuts up. Deal?

“With so many more delivery possibilities, we needed to create a character who could properly convey such an uptick in inventory—and do so with true Texas flair—while making the list of items compelling,” says Preacher senior copywriter Jacob Neuenswander.

“Enter our fast-talking Texan—inspired by modern-day auctioneers—who loves nothing more than to surprise hungry folks in everyday situations. Now, you have this memorable character rattling on about avocado toast while zipping no-look winners over the net. And that’s just a ton of fun to watch.”

This marks Preacher’s third foray for Favor. All of the work slots into the self-consciously wacky category.

The new stuff’s kind of irritating, yet amusingly memorable. The world’s overrun with delivery-service choices. It’s tough to break through. Auctioneers haven’t been overused in ads, so this just might catch viewers’ fancy.

“One of the biggest surprises was realizing just how fast of a talker Mariana was and making sure our scripts were long enough for her,” Neuenswander tells Muse. “We had these big paragraphs filled with restaurant and grocery items, and it became evident very quickly that she was just going to blow through them. We had to have back up lists to our back up lists.”

He adds: “It was also challenging because most of us weren’t equipped to talk anywhere close to as fast as she could. So there were a lot of serious-but-incredibly-ridiculous comments like: ‘Can we try hubbudahbubbadahbubbadah KUNG PAO CHICKEN!’ or ‘Can we do that run again with more POH on potatoes?'”

Preacher’s no stranger to stylistic silliness. Along with Favor, we’ve seen it in efforts for hard seltzer, fintech and more.

The post Check Out the Fast Delivery From Favor App’s Auctioneer first appeared on Muse by Clios.

Ginormous Grimace will stomp the city and crush us all!

Or not.

Either way, the sight of this McDonald’s mascot—in Godzilla-sized collectible cup form—meandering among downtown skyscrapers makes for memorable viewing.

And he’s brought along some familiar friends, repping classic toys from Happy Meals through the decades:

Wieden+Kennedy New York devised the promo for a series of McDonald’s cups. The items celebrate McD’s media tie-ins of yore, including Barbie, Beanie Babies, Coca-Cola’s polar bear, Hello Kitty, Jurassic Park, Shrek and Hot Wheels.

What we’ve got here is pop-culture overload, with McDonald’s as alluring (for some) as the movie icons on display. Moreover, McD’s underscores its own icon status, part and parcel of the overarching entertainment experience.

Overarching. Heh.

“We’re bringing back some of our most-loved keepsakes with a twist, giving fans a memory that they can hold in their hands,” says McD’s global CMO Morgan Flatley, “These new collectible cups commemorate some of our most unforgettable designs and global collaborations over the years, allowing longtime fans to relive treasured moments and helping a new generation make their own lasting memories.”

Cups are available at McDonald’s locations and on the app.

Other notable nostalgia forays include “As Featured In” (trumpeting the Hollywood connection), plus nods to the chain’s past from the U.K. and Australia.

Of course, kaiju send-ups have long been a big-deal in adland. Other examples range from the sweet sounds of giant J Balvin to Miro’s mighty monster and the salad-lovin’ swagger of Vegamama.

The post McDonald’s Goes Kaiju for ‘Great Cup Odyssey’ first appeared on Muse by Clios.

They play a high-stakes poker game with some twisty wordplay. “They say a man’s poker face is not his real face, but a face he uses to hide the face that he’s afraid to face,” Victoria purrs at one point.

LeBron’s suitably suave. And he shows off his physical comedy chops in a cute bit with the waiter.

He likes his limes “sliced, not squeezed.” Heh.

Just call him LeBond. Then again, don’t.

In 1962, Dr. No famously introduced Sean Connery’s 007 in a ritzy gambling scene. And then there’s Daniel Craig’s Casino Royale. This tribute puts a slick modern spin on such classic tropes.

“We approached this campaign with the intention of creating something entertaining, but also culturally relevant,” says Diego Osorio, Lobos founder and CCO. “Working with LeBron James and Victoria Justice was incredible, and I loved how they truly embodied their characters.” (Osorio himself embodies the part of the bartender.)

Oh, and everyone keeps their pants on. Unlike some tequila touters we could name.

Mssngpeces’ Marta Cunningham directed the :90, developed with Rosewood Creative.

The post LeBron James Spoofs 007 Flicks for Lobos 1707 Tequila first appeared on Muse by Clios.

Tori Spelling ditches her stabby letter opener and unwinds at the beach with Kristin Cavallari in a pleasingly self-aware turn for Kind Bars.

Spelling’s antics and travails are getting lots of media play these days, so interest in this back-to-school campaign is running high.

Here, the former Beverly Hills, 90210 star seems to enjoy sending up her flaky persona. Touches like a graduation cap and CGI eye-twinkle are worth the price of admission.

Cavallari rocks, too, at one point taking a wicked frisbee shot to the face. This naturally triggers a flashback, complete with auto-tuned ambiance. Later, in a nod to her role on Laguna Beach, she moans “The car is dunzo!” when her engine overheats.

This approach works because the talent are so clearly in on the joke. They’re moms now, pining for their carefree past, much like a significant portion of the target audience. This makes the pitch feel fun and relatable. Smart, Tori. You go to the head of the class.

“Parents tell us all the time how stressful the back-to-school season is,” says Kind CMO Osher Hoberman. “Finding a school-friendly snack kids love, and that parents feel good about packing in their kids’ lunchboxes, should not be hard.”

With that in mind, the brand hopes its new Kind Kid bars “make back-to-school season and all future snack planning easier—not to mention more delicious and nutritious.”

Chess Club Films’ Alex Gorosh directs with a deft comic touch.

As for that scene with Cavallari in an uncooperative Isuzu truck, “Kristin hadn’t recreated the moment for her TikTok yet, so it was great to go down memory lane,” Kind senior director of integrated communications Suejin Kim tells Muse.

She promises behind-the-scenes footage soon. So we’re not dunzo after all.

Other rad millennial plays in a similar vein include a return to The O.C. with 21Seeds (and Rachel Bilson!), along with various ads from Paris Hilton, who always brings the sardonic hotness.

The post Tori Spelling, Kristin Cavallari Hit the Beach for Kind Snacks first appeared on Muse by Clios.

C’mon, porky! Cough up those keys!

A teacup cutie steals the show in a fresh spot from DoorDash.

The work explains how the delivery service’s dashers can earn extra cash as “unexpected things” arise. Like a curly-tailed pet scarfing down house keys.

“At some point in life, we can all relate to that panic that creeps in when an expense just pops up out of nowhere, and you’re not sure how you’re going to pull it off,” says Julio D’Alfonso, creative director at DoorDash’s in-house Superette Group. “Whether it’s a home repair, a family event, or if your beloved pet teacup pig happened to accidentally swallow your house keys, delivering with DoorDash is an easy way to offset that and get things back on track.”

Superette developed the work with Quality Meats, an agency known for its comic style. This outing employs smooth humor, with an especially cute bit at the end. (Pass the BBQ sauce!)

Furlined director Paco Cruz (aka PACO) crafts good-natured, quick-cut brand boosting with just enough adorbs.

A previous commercial titled “Other Commitments” hit some of the same notes. But this new one’s got a pig, so it’s way better.

The crew used two pigs for filming, recalls Quality Meats co-CCO Gordy Sang.

“We named one of them ‘Gordy,’ temporarily, to commemorate the 1994 talking pig movie and my name,” he tells Muse. “Also, we made catering eliminate bacon from the breakfast menu.”

CREDITS

Client: DoorDash
Group Creative Director: Julio D’Alfonso
Brand Marketing Lead: William de Ryk
Manager, Creative Growth Strategy: Lila Abramson
Business Lead: Josh Lyberger
Brand Supervisor: Arika Jeter

Agency: Quality Meats
Chief Creative Officers: Brian Siedband & Gordy Sang
Creative Directors: Jamie Stark & Maxx Delaney
Head of Production: Autumn Childress
Executive Producer: Cate McManus
Account Director: Chloe Sloofman
Business Affairs: Nikki Balekjian

Production Company: Furlined
Executive Producer: David Thorne
Line Producer: Jill Sartore
Director: PACO
DP: Max Goldman
Casting: Kirsten DeWolfe Casting & Alyson Horn Casting

Edit House: Work Editorial
Executive Producer: Remy Foxx
Post Producer: Rebecca Baker
Editor: Niles Howard
Assistant Editor – Jake Nokovic
Colorist: Ricky Gausis
Post Producer: Phoebe Torsilieri
VFX / Online / Conform / Finish: Trafik
Finishing Producer: Stephanie Allis
VFX Artist: Sean Anderson
Music: Squeak E Clean
Composer: TBC
Sound Design & Mix: Dusty Albertz

The post Adorable (and Hungry) Teacup Pig Aces the Gig for DoorDash first appeared on Muse by Clios.