Just in time for Thanksgiving, Plymouth Rock Assurance is ruffling a few feathers with its new campaign, “Talkin’ Turkey,” featuring an overly confident blue-faced bird with plenty to say — and a penchant for pecking at car windshields.
Created by McKinney, the campaign rolls out this week across TV, social, and digital, positioning Plymouth Rock as the go-to insurance provider for life’s unpredictable moments — from wild weather to wilder wildlife.
In one spot, the outspoken turkey struts across a suburban driveway, declaring, “Tomorrow, me and my friends are gonna peck up your windshield. There’s a turkey in there lookin’ at us funny.” Of course, he’s actually staring at his own reflection. Take a look below:
Another ad features a talking tree threatening to topple onto a house, while a squirrel chimes in with unhelpful commentary — all part of McKinney’s cheeky new creative platform, “Keep Calm and Rock On.”
“Life in the Northeast can be wild — everything from surprise storms to wildlife determined to derail your day,” said Will Dean, Executive Creative Director at McKinney. “Our team dug into some real reports of suburban New Jersey neighborhoods overrun by turkeys, and the scripts practically wrote themselves. We wanted a dry tone paired with absurd visuals to capture that uniquely regional chaos.”
The production leaned heavily into practical effects, blending puppetry and prosthetics with digital compositing. Both the turkey and the tree were played by actors in full-body rigs, filmed against green screen, then enhanced in post to create a hyperreal — and hilariously grounded — world.
“The result feels tangible and believable, which really heightens the deadpan humor,” Dean added.
Directed by Mark Potoka and Matt Spicer of Denim (collectively known as MAMA), the campaign builds on Plymouth Rock’s offbeat legacy, following its “Bostonians” sitcom spoof and its rock ‘n’ roll collaboration with Judas Priest’s Rob Halford.
On social media, the campaign takes flight with bonus content featuring the “Gabby Gobbler” performing original songs, a musical ode to insurance and Thanksgiving gratitude alike.
It’s one bird that truly gets the last word, and maybe the last laugh, this holiday season.
CREDITS:
BRAND – Plymouth Rock Assurance
- Marketing Director – Jennifer Lindauer
- Vice President – Michelle Trindade
- Strategist – Christina Pastushenko
- Designer – Jennine Punzone
AGENCY – McKinney
- Chief Creative Officer – Omid Amidi
- Chief Creative Officer – Lyle Yetman
- Executive Creative Director – Will Dean
- Associate Creative Director – Shealah Cocherell
- Associate Creative Director – Robert George
- Strategy Director – Paddy Mangunta
- Strategist – Chandler Condrone
- Executive Director – Kathryn Harvey
- Account Supervisor – Marc Wilson
- Coordinator – Lauren Wasserman
- Project Manager – Tim Mislock
MEDIA – Attention Arc
- Media Director – Caitlin Rowe
- Media Planner – Erik Mayerson
- Media Director – Oliver Plunkett
- Manager – Alexa White
PRODUCTION COMPANY – Denim
- Director – Mark Potoka
- Director – Matt Spicer
- Director of Photography – Adam Marsden
- Managing Director – Christian Tyler
- Executive Producer – Alex Dall’Orso
- Executive Producer – Cam Frengopoulos
- Line Producer – Ian Fingland
- Production Designer – Britt Skelly
- 1st AD – Daniela Barbosa
- Production Manager – Kyle Lauzon
- Coordinator – Peter Widdrington
- SFX – Joel Echallier
- SFX – Marty Stelnick
- SFX – Chris Bridges
- SFX – Nicole Soo
PRODUCTION COMPANY – CYLNDR Studios
- Executive Director – Kara O’Halloran
- Executive Producer – Amanda Morrison
- Business Affairs Manager – Kelly Beatty
POST/VFX – Darling VFX
- Colourist – Kassi Bellamy
- Colour Assistant – Eric Kingsbury
- Online Editor – Paul Binney
- Online Editor – Matthew Feldman
- Motion Graphics – Lev Bravo
- Executive Producer – Kristen Van Fleet
- Producer – Faith Clark
EDIT– Saints Editorial Inc.
- Editor – Cam Lasovich
- Edit Assistant – Aidan McGuire
- Executive Producer – Emily McKay
MUSIC/SOUND – Grayson Music
- Music – Mark Domitric
- Composer – Mark Domitric
- Sound Designer – Brian Bernard
- Artist – Andrew Austin
- Sound Producer – Sharon Yokoyama
REELated:
John Lewis says if you can’t find the words, find the gift
