Oct 18, 2011

QuietMan Founder and Creative Director Johnnie Semerad recently went behind the lens for NFL standouts and brothers, Devin McCourty, of the New England Patriots, and Jason McCourty, of the Tennessee Titans, to create a fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek spot for Palmers Cocoa Butter For Men, titled 100 Yard Walk, via agency MME.

The spot combines action, VFX and humor to make its point.

Looking buff and ready-for-action, the brothers walk across a stadium, cautioning against excessive physical wear-and-tear and “unnecessary roughness on skin,” and extolling the benefits of using Palmers Cocoa Butter For Men. Promising “extraordinary results,” the brothers deliver – when two gorgeous cheerleaders drop from the heavens into their waiting arms as the spot ends.

According to Johnnie, MME had wanted the spokesmen brothers to emphasize their “badass look” and to play it deadpan. “But the guys have great personalities and at the end you see these two huge smiles from them,” Johnnie noted.

The challenges involved in this branding campaign were two-fold; first, it’s a performance spot with the athletes talking directly to the camera: second, the spot revolves around a stunt and visual effect.

To deal with this, Johnnie used the technique of ‘over-cutting,’ so that when the brothers step back, he made three quick cuts from three different angles, which all overlap. This gives the spot added excitement and energy by switching rapidly between the dialogue and the action.

Credits:

Client: Palmers Cocoa Butter
Spot Title: 100 Yard Walk
Airdate: September 2011

Agency: MME
CD: Brad Eisenstein
AD: Jessica Grimm
Copy: Brad Eisenstein
Producer: Brad Eisenstein

Prod Co: QuietMan
Director(s): Johnnie Semerad
EP(s): Carey Gattyan
Producer(s): David Michaels

Editorial Co: QuietMan
Editor: Kevin Palmer, Joe Kriksciun
Producer: David Michaels

Post/Effects Co: QuietMan
VFX Artist: Johnnie Semerad

Shoot Location: Rutgers University