Australia’s ANZ Small Business tapped M&C Saatchi to develop an ad both funny and sympathetic to its target demo: small business owners.
That doesn’t sound like tons of fun, so we didn’t expect it to be, especially when we saw the length of the clip: 1:40? And in sepia? Why not force our eyes open with steel rods, too?
The spot itself starts out innocuously enough: a suited man is walking down the street, somebody calls his name: “Jack!” He starts to run. As the spot progresses, the variety of people — butchers, mechanics, a Chinese restaurant owner — that catch sight of him and give chase increases, adding to the dramatic tension and making way for a few semi-amusing stunt scenes. You lazily wonder what the punchline is.
When you finally get to the point of discovery, there’s nothing slapstick about it. We found ourselves not only sympathetic but relieved, and kinda quietly hating Jack, too.
Find out why for yourself. It’s especially worthy if you’ve ever tried launching a business of your own.
