Who can argue that bombastic 1980s power ballad "Total Eclipse of the Heart" isn't the single greatest piece of music in human history? That's right: no one. Its appearance in a MasterCard spot a while back, with brand-centric lyrics performed by its original singer, Bonnie Tyler, was priceless. And these days, "Total Eclipse" has resurfaced with a vengeance. Diva impressionist Christina Bianco's performance of the song in the style of Adele, Cher, Streisand and others is approaching 2 million YouTube views since being posted earlier this week.
Now, Fiber One gets in on the act with a pair of amusing 30-second spots from Saatchi & Saatchi. As with MasterCard, the words have been altered to fit the brand profile. The "Turn around, bright eyes" chorus morphs into "Turn around, Barry" in one spot and "Turn around, Barbara" in the other as we watch various Barrys and Barbaras, deprived of the tasty-yet-unhealthy snacks they crave, discover the joys of Fiber One.
"Finally I have a manly chocolatey snack and fiber so my wife won't give me any more flak," wails Barry. Amen, brother, amen. "Forever I've been praying for a snack in my life, and now I have a brownie ending all of my strife," wails Barbara. True that, sister, true that.
While exaggerated, the humor is never so outrageous that it seems cartoonish or stupid, which could have thrown the spots out of whack. So I applaud Fiber One for finding the perfect balance and keeping things more or less...regular.
CREDITS:
Client: General Mills
Brand: Fiber One Bars/Brownies
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi
Chief Creative Officer: Con Williamson
Creative Director: Peter Smith
Creative Director: Johnnie Ingram
Art Director: Katherine Kuni
Copywriter: Chris Stevenson
Head of Broadcast Production: John Doris
Senior Producer: Nicole Gabrielle Ogborn
Music Producer: Eric Korte
Business Manager: Christina Mattson
Production Company: Little Minx, Los Angeles, CA
Director: Nico Viega of Nico & Martin
Director of Photography: Nanu Segal
Executive Producer: Rhea Scott
Line Producer: Deb Tietjen
Editing House: Rock, Paper, Scissors, NYC
Editor: Carlos Arias
Assistant Editor: Maria Lee
Flame Artist: Edward Reina
Producer: Helena Lee
Executive Producer: Eve Kornblum