Who knew Chris Paul had a twin brother, Cliff Paul, from whom the NBA All-Star point guard was separated at birth, who went on to assist people in a different way—by becoming an agent for State Farm, among myriad other kindnesses?
Not Chris Paul. That's obvious as he gets into the elevator at the end of the spot. But the good people at State Farm and ad agency Translation did.
This spot, directed by MJZ's Craig Gillespie, comes with its own Twitter feed (@CliffPaul), and it's yet another example of how much fun Paul can be. He also represents Nike's Jordan brand, among other endorsements, and he's easy to watch—to the extent that one wonders if he'll eventually try his hand at something beyond commercials.
Good bits here: the baby with the glasses, the casting of the kid versions of Chris and Cliff, and the argyle sweater on both adult and child Cliffs. And of course, the take Paul does as he looks into his own face, while playing both characters.
This is a very slick ad—it's a good example of how to pack a lot of story and branding into a single minute, with a controlling pun (assist vs. assist), a linear progression the audience can follow (the two characters aging simultaneously), and a quality punch line. The set dressing is stellar, notably the '90s station wagon in the background of the young Chris's driveway game. And does anyone else feel old hearing that Chris Paul was born in 1985?
I'm also a huge fan of Cliff tasting the paint scrape on the fender of the hit-and-run victim's car and then eagerly beetling off in the direction of the perp.
Triplet suggestion: Chip Paul, detective, who assists in homicide investigations. Just thinking out loud here, you understand.
CREDITS
Client: State Farm
Agency: Translation
Chief Creative Officer: Chris Cereda
Associate Creative Director, Copywriter: Emily Sander
Associate Creative Director, Art Direction: Danielle Thornton
Copywriter: Jamie Cohen
Executive Producer: Peter Ostella
Group Account Director: Ben Gladstone
Account Director: Susanna Swartley
Account Supervisor: Susan Min
Brand Strategist: John McBride
Head of Content Production: Miriam Franklin
Production Company: MJZ
Director: Craig Gillespie
Executive Producer: Emma Wilcockson
Line Producer: Line Postymr
Director of Photography: Gyula Pados
Stylist: Mike B.
Editorial Company: Bikini
Editor: Avi Oron
Assistant Editor: Gustavo Roman
Post Producer: Brad Wood
Post Executive Producer: Gina Pagano
End Tag Graphics: Alejandro Ussa, US54
Sound Mixing: Heard City
Executive Producer: Gloria Pitagorsky
Producer: Sasha Awn
Sound Mixer: Evan Mangiamele
Sound Mixer: Eric Warzecha
Music, Sound Artist: Felt Music
Producer: Alex Lodge
Visual Effects: Eight VFX
Executive Producer: Baptiste Andrieux
Executive Producer: Shira Boardman
Visual Effects Producers: Yannick Leblanc, Doug Scruton
Flame Artists: Joe Vitale, Christopher Memoli
Voiceover: Will McDonald
Celebrity Talent: Chris Paul
Stock Footage: NBA, T3 Media