TV-commercials to launch a ‘take-along power glue’ by Loctite
(Creative introduction: see bottom.)
DDB Needham and I found the same basic ideas:
- a St Bernard dog coming to the rescue with the product,
- dramatic S.O.S. letters flashing on the screen. (see 1st commercial)
At the agency, my ideas were shrugged away as fast as Loctite can glue: in seconds.
But DDB Needham just went out and did it – Worldwide, no less.
Ain’t life a bitch? (No pun intended with the dog.)
TV: Creating a character.
In a cartoon (or a regular) commercial, a man with a bunch of flowers is walking on a country road, leading to a little house in the distance. He’s thinking of the lovely girl who’s waiting there for him.
He arrives in front of the house, rings the doorbell, but then – his trousers drop down!
Panicking, he draws his trousers back up, and he sees the problem: the letter strap around the belt buckle has got loose. Increasing suspense: will he be able to solve the problem before the girl opens the door? (For he’s rung the doorbell, remember?)
The man’s mind sends out an S.O.S. signal thatwe both hear: … - - - … and see: S.O.S., S.O.S., S.O.S. in cartoon style on the screen.
Voice-over:“When your heart screams S.O.S. …”
That S.O..S. signal is also heard by a SAINT BERNARD DOG that comes running very fast toward the man, while we hear the trumpet sound of the cavalry charge.
While the St Bernard is running fast: superimpression on screen: “S.O.S. Repair to the rescue!”
The dog comes to a shrieking halt, braking on all fours, and stops beside the man.
Voice-over:“… S.O.S. Repair comes to the rescue…”
Extreme close-up on the little barrel (in S.O.S Repair alu pack style) that the dog appears to be wearing around his neck: he is our ‘brand character’!
The man opens the dog’s S.O.S. Repair neck-barrel and takes out an S.O.S. Repair “vial”.
Voice-over:“…if you have it with you.”
Feverishly, the man glues his belt strap shut to secure the buckle, so his trousers are safely held up again. And right after that the door of the house swings open, the girl appears, and they kiss.
Last image with super: the panting dog, happily looking up at the kissing couple: close-up on his head and on his S.O.S. Repair neck-barrel.
Super: S.O.S. Repair to the rescue!
Voice-over adds (a nice rhyme, it can even be sung!):
Have it with you.
TV: LADY BREAKS HANDBAG STRAP
- The hall of a large office building. A group of white collar workers is waiting for the lift.
- The group has entered the lift, which is now full. The lift doors are closing. But a young woman comes running up and manages (in spite of the liftboy’s warnings) to get in, just before the doors slide shut.
- But her shoulder-bag hasn’t managed to get in with her.: her shoulder strap has been caught between the lift door. The strap breaks off at one end, causing her bag to fall open, which makes her things drop out of it. Audio: we hear an S.O.S. signal.
Voice-over: “When your heart screams S.O.S. …”
- The liftboy draws the strap and bag from between the closed doors, and starts carefully putting her things back in the bag. He finds an alu pack of S.O.S. Repair among her things.
Voice-over: “… S.O.S. Repair brings instant help…”
- Close-up on the alu pack: he opens it, takes out the “vial”, which he opens.
- He puts a drop of S.O.S. Repair on the broke strap, and sticks it to the other end.
Voice-over: “…if you have it with you.”
- The liftbell sounds, the liftdoors slide open. Out comes the woman who’s lost her bag, anxious to retrieve what may be left of it.
- Her bag is handed over to her by the beaming liftboy, our living symbol of helpfulness. Super:
S.O.S. Repair
The power be with you.
Voice-over adds(a rhyme again!):
«So have it with you.»
TV: STUCK IN TRAMRAIL
- A woman (close-up on her foot and high-heeled shoe) crosses tramrails on which a tram is approaching fast in the distance.
- Wham! Her high heel gets stuck in the rail and breaks off, remaining attached to the shoe by the sole, though. Audio: we hear an S.O.S. signal.
Voice-over: “When your heart screams S.O.S. …” The tram is approaching fast.
- Close-up: the woman puts a drop of S.O.S. Repair on top of the loose heel, while the tram is coming dangerously near. Voice-over: “… S.O.S. Repair brings instant help…” Increasing suspense: will she be ready in time to let the tram through? For a moment, she stands firmly on the heel, making the glue stick tight.
- The woman steps forward, out of the picture and out of the way of the tram (relief for TV- viewers) that can drive on without any danger to her.
- Close-up on the S.O.S. Repair “vial” that she closes again.
Voice-over: “…if you have it with you.” Background: flank of the tram that grinds to a halt.
- She steps into the tram.
- Super:
Super Glue S.O.S. Repair
The power be with you.
Voice-over adds:
«So have it with you.»
TV: TENNIS UMP BREAKS GLASSES
A tennis match with a lot of spectators. A player is serving.
The ball comes straight to the referee, who watches it as if he’s petrified. Subjective camera: the ball comes straight to the TV-audience.
Wham! The spectators suck in their breaths. The referee’s glasses are broken, hit by the ball. Audio: we hear an S.O.S. signal. Voice-over: “When your heart screams S.O.S. …”
Very calmly, the referee takes a “vial” of S.O.S. Repair (close-up) from his breast pocket, and puts a drop on his glasses. Voice-over: “… S.O.S. Repair brings instant help…”
Unaware of all that, the serving player prepares to serve again: he lets the ball bounce a few times…
Rapidly alternating images of the referee repairing his glasses and of the player preparing to serve. Increasing suspense: will the referee’s glasses be ready in time before the player serves?
The player now throws up the ball, and raises his racket.
Voice-over: “…if you have it with you.” The referee puts on his glasses, just in time to see how…
…the player serves and succeeds an ace! The crowd cheers.
Super:
S.O.S. Repair
The power be with you.
Voice-over adds:
«So have it with you.»
TV: CONDUCTOR BREAKS BATON
A symphony orchestra in the pit, just before the concert begins.
The musicians are tuning their instruments, in a cacophony of loud, shrieking sounds. The conductor desperately tries to attract their attention, and grows impatient.
All of a sudden, he makes a wide movement with his baton, …
…hitting his desk so hard the baton breaks. Both the musicians and the audience fall dead silent. Audio: we hear an S.O.S. signal. Voice-over: “When your heart screams S.O.S. …”
The conductor quietly takes a “vial” of S.O.S. Repair from his breast pocket, and puts a drop on his baton. Voice-over: “… S.O.S. Repair brings instant help…”
The conductor makes a signal to the kettle drum player, who then starts a ruffle, which underlines the increasing suspense: will the conductor be ready in time to start the music when the ruffle ends?
The conductor sticks the two pieces of his baton together, and applies some pressure for a moment. Voice-over: “…if you have it with you.”
The ruffle ends – at which moment the conductor makes the music start with a majestic movement of his repaired baton. Super:
S.O.S. Repair
The power be with you.
Voice-over adds:
«So have it with you.»
An alternative ending: Just as the ochestra starts playing, the kettle drum player sticks up one of his drumsticks looking at the conductor for help: the drumstick is broken.
TV: BROKEN SHOULDER STRAP
A young woman with an attaché-case is alone in a lift that’s going up. She’s wearing a stylish suit (matching skirt and jacket) and under the jacket she’s wearing a sexy top with tiny shoulder straps.
She looks as if she has a business appointement. She nervously checks her wist watch, and fiddles with her jacket and her hair –
All of a sudden, one of the shoulder straps of her top has gotten loose at the front.
Audio: we hear an S.O.S. signal.
The side of her top drops down, so that half her breast is bare, her nipple being barely covered by her jacket lapel. Voice-over: “When your heart screams S.O.S. …”
Calmly, the woman takes a “vial” of S.O.S. Repair (close-up) from her jacket pocket, and puts a drop on the end of the loose shoulders strap. Voice-over: “… S.O.S. Repair brings instant help…”
Anxiously, she checks the “floor counter” of the lift that now starts to slow down its upward movement. Increasing suspense: can she fix the strap in time before the lift doors open?
And just when she presses her strap tight on the inner side of her top, (Voice-over: “…if you have it with you.”) the lift comes to a halt, the doors slide open, her jacket lapel falls into place again, and she – beaming – steps out, greeted by two head-bowing Japanese managers.
Super:
S.O.S. Repair
The power be with you.
Voice-over adds:
«So have it with you.»
An alternative ending: Instead of Japanese managers, she’s met by a flock of press reporters: they fire questions at her, while their cameras start flashing.
TV: ROBINSON CRUSOE
Sunset on a deserted island. On the beach, a contemporary Robinson Crusoë is finishing a huge “S.O.S” that he has made of sticks, dry grass and driftwood.
Suddenly, he hears the sound of an airplane – approaching!
Feverishly, he takes a matchbox from his pocket of his torn jeans pants.
He opens the matchbox: there’s only one, last match in it!
He rubs the match along the rough side of the box, but it breaks!
Audio: we hear an S.O.S. signal. Voice-over: “ When your heart screams S.O.S. …”
He takes an S.O.S. Repair vial from the “condom pocket” of his jeans, and glues the match together again. Voice-over: “… S.O.S. Repair brings instant help…”
Once again, he tries to ignite the match: now he succeeds.
(Torture test! The glued match holds well when he rubs it on the rough side of the matchbox.)
At last, he can put fire to his huge “S.O.S.” on the beach. It starts burning fiercely.
Soon, the “S.O.S.” is blazing red-hot in the evening dusk.
We hear the airplane approaching, and even preparing to land. Zoom-out on the huge, burning “S.O.S.” on the beach. Next to it, Robinson Crusoe is jumping, crazy with joy, shouting and waving his arms. Super and voice-over:
“S.O.S. Repair.
It won’t desert you.
Voice over adds:
“Take it with you.”
TV: “ABRACADABRA” (And now for something slightly different.)
In a sea resort, on the side-walk along the beach, a girl is walking on high-heeled mules.
Suddenly one of the heels is caught between the paving stones, and breaks off (completely loose).
She picks up the mule and the high heel, and looks at them, a bit desperate.
A cute, tanned beach boy comes by, only dressed in boxer (swimming) shorts. Seeing her trouble, he smiles understandingly and says: “What you need is a touch of magic.”
She looks surprised, a little bit suspicious.
He takes both the mule and the heel from her, smiles and whispers with a wink: “Magic!”
He then quickly turns his back on her, so she can’t see what he’s doing:
He zips open his shorts pocket, takes a “vial” of S.O.S. Repair , opens it, puts a drop on the heel, and presses it tight against the sole for a moment.
He quickly turns toward her again, and says, like magicians do after doing a trick: “Ta daaaa!”
He kneels down before her on one knee. Gentlemanlike, he slips the repaired mule on her foot, then he looks up at her and says, smiling boyishly: “The touch of magic – is you.”
Super:
S.O.S. Repair.
A touch of magic –
wherever you need it.
“Creative introduction”
TV commercials for Loctite S.O.S. Repair
proposed by Ideas in Action on September 22, 2003
Glueing people to TV screens.
Bonding people with the brand.
Relevancy & empathy
- We stick to relevant situations that people can identify with.
- Yet, we want to break through boring everyday situations. So, we often show ordinary breakage in extraordinary situations. For instance: few people are tennis referees, but lots of people get their spectacles broken.
- We show empathy with the “victims”, whom we never depicted as clumsy bunglers.
- We understand how a simple breakage can be experienced as a human “drama”.
Campaignability
- The concept should be campaignable, both long-term and worldwide.
- To prove it is, we have developed several storyboards in one single, simple format.
- This format can be easily recognized and attributed to Loctite S.O.S. Repair.
- In time, this format may even become an advertising property of the Loctite brand as a whole.
The product must be the hero.
- We always show “having the product with you, wherever you may be”.
- We always show the foil pack and the vial in action.
- We always show product application.
- We always show product performance.
- We always solve the problem through product performance.
Problem & solution translated as suspense & relief.
- We start with a simple breakage that becomes a human “drama”.
- We add a second drama: to solve it, speed is of paramount importance.
- That makes for increasing suspense (will the problem be solved in time?) –
- adding intensity to the product demonstration: both glueing and bonding should be very fast.
- To the TV viewers’ relief, the “dénouement” comes in time, thanks to product performance.