The novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic has affected the advertising industry just as it has many other industries, so it was important for St. Louis-based Coolfire Studios and Rodgers Townsend to find safe yet creative ways to execute a new a new broadcast campaign for Spectrum Brands‘ Cutter Backwoods Insect Repellent and Cutter Skinsations Insect Repellent.
“By mid-March, we knew that the production process was going to be changed at least for the time being and potentially forever,” said David Johnson, President and Executive Producer of Coolfire. “As creative problem solvers, we approached this the same way we would any other problem and formulated a plan that would keep everyone safe and deliver creatively.”
Two spots were produced (:30 and :15 versions for each) and were directed by Cody Stokes. Daredevil features a precarious young girl preparing to make an epic jump over her stuffed animal collection with her bike; while Garage Band features a young teen rocker who is about to bring down the house with an over the top guitar solo.
The message in both is that you can’t protect them from everything, but at least you can protect them from ticks and mosquitos. Watch below:
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“You can only solve it so many ways with stock footage, stills, animation or even type. Some ideas, even now, beg to roll camera. Our friends at Coolfire and entire St. Louis community have gone above and beyond to keep the makers making safely,” said Michael McCormick, Chief Creative Officer for Rodgers Townsend.
“It was incredible to see it all come together the way it did. The agency did a fantastic job of developing scripts that were highly creative, but at the same time producible in this new environment,” said David Johnson, president of Coolfire. “Our cast and crew were fantastic and adapted to this new work environment very well. They were all excited to get back to work, but at the same time, knew what they needed to done to facilitate a safe working environment.”
The spots are airing on national cable networks as well as on social media platforms. You can view Coolfire Studios COVID-19 Safety document here.
CREDITS:
AGENCY: Rodgers Townsend
- Chief Creative Officer: Michael McCormick
- Director of Account Management: Laura Duplain
- Agency Producer: Patty Ivey
- Creative Director: Ross Bradley
- Senior Writer: Jeremy Hagen
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Coolfire Studios
- Director: Cody Stokes
- Director of Photography: Chris Durr
- Executive Producer: David Johnson
- Production Designer: Cory Hinesley
- Producer: Daniel Gartner
EDIT: Coolfire Studios
- Editor/ Colorist: Kevin Johnson
- Editor/VFX: Patrick Vaughan
- Original Music & Sound Design: Brent Johnson
SOURCE: Coolfire Studios
