Headquarters Films director Eric Steinman creates and directs a lot of television commercials such as successful comedy campaigns for McDonalds, Rolaids, Visa, the Jon Stewart Show, and more recently a pair of ads for USA Freedom Corps, starring Angie Harmon and Mariano Rivera.
A former agency creative with top agencies such as Young & Rubicam and BBDO/NY, where he served as a Creative Supervisor on Pizza Hut and worked on the HBO account, Steinman worked with some of the best talent in the business before becoming a director himself.
One of his most widely seen and talked about commercials is Whats Different, an ad for Viagra in which a mans co-workers try to figure out whats new and improved about their colleague, Joe. None of Joes pals are able to guess that whats different is his sex life, courtesy of Viagra.
When it comes to Viagra, there is never a shortage of jokes. MadTV took it upon themselves to add to this list of jokes by spoofing Steinman’s “What’s Different” spot.
In a comedy sketch that aired on a recent episode of FOXs MAD TV, Joes co-workers are given a hint in the form of a rather large protrusion nearly bursting out of Joes pants. The happy and confident man arrives at work and is addressed by a series of oblivious co-workers who cannot figure out whats different about Joe. New haircut? one asks. New shoes? queries another. New tie? The office receptionist doesnt pick up on the obvious, even as Joe knocks her inbox off the desk with his “extension”. “New shirt?” is her guess. Maybe its a promotion. No, no promotion, Joe responds as he bumps yet another co-worker in the rear and then pokes him in the eye with the power in his pants. Holding his wounded eye, the man asks, Hey, Joe whats different with you?
So be careful in the office if you take Viagra. View the spot here. (3MB)
