Barton F. Graf's signature absurdist humor arrives fully baked in its first campaign for Snyder's of Hanover pretzels.
Broadcast spots and brief social videos introduce the line "Pretzels, Baby," delivered in mock-serious, smoky tones by actress Laura Wernette.
Portraying a pretzel-lovin' suburbanite, she looks straight into the camera and musters up an impressive level of tongue-in-cheek intensity, her zeal heightened only by the polka-dot party hat she dons for the "Backyard BBQ" spot below:
"People have been eating pretzels since 610 A.D. So, at this point, it's safe to say people like pretzels," Barton F. Graf executive creative director Ian Reichenthal tells AdFreak. "A lot of flashy new snacks have come and gone in that time. And people may sometimes reach for them instead of pretzels. But if you're pretzels, you've got nothing to worry about. Pretzels aren't going anywhere. That's where the confidence of 'Pretzels, Baby' comes from."
Anyone questioning the boldness of Synder's flavors can grab the nearest "Dictionary" and look it up, following Wernette's example in the next ad:
"We cast hundreds and hundreds of people" searching for the perfect spokesperson, says Reichenthal. The team ultimately chose Wernette because she embodied "a mom with the swagger of Telly Savalas."
Savalas was a familiar face in prime time during his iconic '70s run as NYC detective Theo Kojak, whose hardboiled catchphrase "Who loves ya, baby?" entered the cultural lexicon. (Note the retro cop-show music at the close of each Snyder's spot.)
Actually, Kojak fancied lollipops, not pretzels. But that was 40 years ago, so who cares?
In "For Your Own Good," our heroine gives a positively smashing performance:
Dummy Films director Harold Einstein keeps the setups simple, providing a punchy pace that lets Wernette's salty talk—by which we mean her G-rated pitch for pretzels—scale the heights of sublime silliness.
According to Reichenthal, Wernette worked hard to stay in character between takes, practicing her lines "while sitting in a Chesterfield chair and holding an empty scotch glass."
Sample a few more snack-size bites below. (They're social responses to Twitterers who say they do or don't like pretzels.)
In this last social clip, she goes on about the many different kinds of Snyder's pretzels (for nearly three minutes, baby!)
CREDITS
Client: Snyder's-Lance
Brand: Snyder's of Hanover
Agency: Barton F. Graf
Chief Creative Officer: Gerry Graf
Chief Executive Officer: Barney Robinson
Chief Strategy Officer: Laura Janness
Executive Creative Director: Ian Reichenthal
Art Director: Ross Fletcher
Copywriter: Mark Bielik
Head of Design: Roger Bova
Head of Production: Josh Morse
Producer: Erica Kahr
Group Account Director: Elisa Silva
Account Supervisor: Kate Callander
Head of Business Affairs: Jennifer Pannent
Production: Dummy Films
Director: Harold Einstein
EP: Eric Liney
DP: Jonathan Freeman
Production Designer: Patrick Lumb
Editorial: Arcade Edit
Editor: Dave Anderson
Assistant Editor: Laurel Smoliar
Executive Producer: SiIa Soyer
Music: Butter Music & Sound
Music CCO: Andrew Sherman
Music EP: Ian Jeffreys
Music Producer: Ryan Faucett
Telecine: Company 3
Colorist: Tim Masick
