Honda's pitch-perfect homage to Ferris Bueller's Day Off has quickly become one of the most talked-about Super Bowl ads in recent history—and it hasn't even aired on TV yet. As the extended version of the spot became a YouTube smash and a top trending topic on Twitter, we reached out to the agency behind the ad, Santa Monica-based RPA. While it has a strong reputation in the industry for its 25 years of work with Honda, the agency has largely remained under the radar. That could all change on Super Bowl Sunday, as its contribution takes its place as one of the night's top spots. So, how did this sequel of sorts come about? Get the scoop after the jump.

 
RPA executive creative director Joe Baratelli (pictured here) tells AdFreak that the agency wanted an ad that celebrated the redesigned Honda CR-V as a car for enjoying life, not just for running chores: "When we found out the timing of the launch of the CR-V, we felt it would be a great tent pole for the entire campaign, which centers around making a list of things you want to do before the things you have to do. 'Before you make a leap, make a list.'
     "We opened up the idea generation to the whole department. It was a younger team that came up with the idea of Ferris Bueller. The film embodies the theme of getting out and doing stuff. And our client saw the potential of tapping into the fandom of Ferris Bueller's Day Off for the Super Bowl.
     "We started talking with Paramount and Broderick's people and decided we wanted a feature comedy director. That's when Todd Phillips came on board, all the while improving the script. We all wanted to be respectful of the original movie. 
     "Then the strategy of how to roll it out came about. We knew we were going to do an extended cut before the Super Bowl. But we wanted to create some buzz before we released that. The :10 spot came from that idea of creating mystery around Broderick and his role. And, we're excited that 3 of 10 top trending topics (on Twitter) are related to the spot right now."

One of the subtle ideas that keeps the spot from sullying the original movie is that it's not actually a sequel to Ferris Bueller's Day Off. We asked Baratelli if there was ever a script that made the character Bueller instead of Broderick.
     "It was always Matthew Broderick. We felt it was more interesting and believable to have it be about him, as an actor, paralleling the movie. A real person skipping work and having an adventure fit in with the campaign and the Honda brand better, rather than trying to recreate the Ferris Bueller character."

While the ad was largely adored by viewers when it debuted online Monday, some Ferris fans had their gripes. The most common complaint was that a CR-V is hardly on par with a Ferrari 250GT California (the car from the movie). Other fans were sad to find no trace of Bueller's stoic sidekick, Cameron Frye. Actually, Baratelli says actor Alan Ruck, who played Cameron, almost made the cut to reprise his role, but he didn't make the final script:
     "There was an early iteration of the script with Mr. Ruck where Matthew made a quick call to him. Ultimately there are so many great scenes in the original movie to work from, we needed to streamline the story."

The final product has been a clear success, especially coming so far in advance of the Super Bowl. But national news coverage of the spot has largely omitted any reference to RPA as the agency behind the ad. Baratelli says he's not too concerned about the publicity going exclusively to Honda.
     "Buzz is good, and it's great to get recognized for doing stellar work. But we try to shine the light on our clients rather than us. That's our job."

Only a complete twit would refuse to favorite this Twitter recruitment video, which has notched more than 400,000 YouTube views since its launch on Friday. The clip skewers the frequently tacky genre (like the best parodies on Funny Or Die) while portraying the company as a geek-tastically hip place to work. Even CEO Dick Costolo gets in on the fun, playing straight man to subordinates Ian Padgham and Jeremy Briggs, who march into the boss's office to present a recruitment film that Costolo doesn't recall asking them to make. The hackneyed nature of this play-within-a-play setup is part of the joke, as is Padgham's goofy rah-rah patter as host. "Working at Twitter isn't just a sweet job. It's a way of life. A way of life that's like a sweet job," he asserts at one point, later adding, "Boy, I wish I didn't already work here so I could apply for a job!" We learn that Twitter offers "benefits" like T-shirts and bottles of wine. (At AdFreak, we get gym shorts and Schlitz.) Unlike Twitter's much-maligned branding commercial last year, this clip hits the bull's-eye, especially since the target is presumably in sync with the microblogging firm's corporate mind-set and attuned to silly humor. In that spirit, I applied for the first job I saw on the site: Cassandra Engineer. I bet she's hot! #WIN

Holiday Inflatables

Whether you are decorating your home for Christmas, the Fourth of July, Easter, or any other major holiday, the use of holiday inflatables to decorate the lawn and front yard will make your home stand out in any neighborhood. There are several styles, sizes, designs, and types of holiday inflatables a home owner can purchase, when they are choosing the best and most grandiose decorations for their homes during the holiday season. So, whether they want their home to have the largest snow man during Christmas, or have the finest looking nativity scene, there are several holiday inflatables they can choose from when decorating for the holiday seasons.

25 ft. Turkey Inflatables

Home owners will also find that depending on the size of inflatables they are looking for, they can find several styles of any decoration. From santa clause for Christmas, or the Easter bunny for the Easter holiday season, they can find big, medium, and small holiday inflatables, depending on what style of decor they are going for in the home. Additionally, they can find several different types of each of these inflatables, depending on how they want to decorate the home, and where they plan on putting the holiday inflatables during the holiday season.

Santa Claus and Reindeer Holiday Inflatables

The home owner will also have several price ranges to choose from when they are buying the new holiday inflatables during the holiday decorating season. The prices they pay for the inflatables are going to depend on where they purchase them from, the size of the inflatables, and the quality of them as well. It will depend on how big the holiday inflatables are, how decorative they are, and what the quality of the materials used to construct the inflatables are. Therefore, taking the time to shop around with several retailers, and looking at several different holiday inflatables options, the home owner will find something that fits their budget when they are decorating their homes. Try Christmas inflatables for lots of fun!

By choosing the biggest, or the most unique design style for the holiday inflatables which are being purchased, home owners can truly make their home stand out during any holiday season. So, whether they are going for something serene during Christmas, or whether they want a grand and loud design and decorating style for a certain holiday, they can get any of these design styles, by choosing the right holiday inflatables, and the right size inflatables, when they are deciding which decorations to purchase for the holiday season.

The more time the shoppers take around, and the more styles, sizes, and themes they consider when purchasing their new holiday inflatables and decorations, the more likely it is that the home owner is going to find the savings, and also get the best looking inflatables for their home during the holiday season. Prior to purchase, home owners should compare several holiday inflatables, compare several retailers, and compare several design styles of these inflatables, in order to ensure they are getting the lowest prices and the best looking decorations for their home during the holiday season.

Christmas inflatables make for a festive, fun, frolicking time.

Holiday Inflatables Are Fun is a post from: Advertising Balloons

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