You may not be aware, but Santa Monica’s RPA recaptured the business of West Coast convenience store ampm in 2015 after a 13-year break.
The agency’s first move after winning the account was to launch a new company spokesman named Toomgis, who was designed by Bodin Sterba and Legacy Effects as an embodiment of the chain’s slogan “Too Much Good Stuff” or TMGS (go ahead and try to pronounce it yourself). This is particularly appropriate since RPA developed the line 20 years ago.
He’s quite literally made of snack food, and he has the sweet-but-dumb affectation of so many cartoonish spokesmen.
Toomgis made his commercial debut exactly one year ago, and we’ve been introduced to him for the first time as part of a press push to highlight client/agency efforts to celebrate his first birthday … and the opening of the 1,000th ampm location.
Here’s the original broadcast ad, which first aired last March.
He’s almost like a mashup of the Spike Jones’ Wild Things* and the 1961 Looney Tunes Abominable Snowman. We wanted the big guy to say, “I will name him Alan, and I will hug him and pet him and squeeze him.”
We’re told that Toomgis came about due to a need to modernize that tagline, which initially came from the astute observation that people often visit ampm to score their junk food fix, bro.
As the website tells it, “He’s a friendly, gentle giant comprised of over a hundred different kinds of food and drinks, and 35 kinds of generosity and kindness.”
Did you notice the straw dreads? We kinda thought they were Twizzlers.
The series continues with each short focusing on another product.
It seems that Toomgis is particularly interested in all the single ladies…
Dude doesn’t discriminate, though.
The fully integrated campaign also included radio spots, a tumblr page that “gave ampm fans a unique look into his inner thoughts and passions,” and even an activation in which he threw the opening pitch at a Dodgers game.
The release tell us that Toomgis has led to increased brand awareness and 30-day purchase and that his fans have left voicemails and dressed up as him for Halloween. Kids seem to love the guy!
When your daughter falls in love with @ampm‘s #Toomgis at a @Dodgers game and wants him as her birthday cake, and your wife can pull it off. pic.twitter.com/wv34jY9BsX
— James Parker (@_parkerjames) October 22, 2016
We haven’t seen much of the birthday stuff, but Toomgis is all over the place.
Toomgis hearts donuts. No, seriously. His heart is a donut.
A post shared by ampm (@ampm_tmgs) on
And apparently he’s still looking for a date.
In summary: California is a state of mind, man.
*One of the worst movies ever made. And we will argue that point, so come at us.