Ad of the Day: FreeCreditScore

There may be some things that could make checking your credit score a little less boring. There are definitely a lot of things that could make watching a commercial about checking your credit score a little less boring. Not many of these things are remotely plausible, but some of them can make for amusing advertising. FreeCreditScore.com's latest campaign from The Martin Agency features commercial kings Rhett & Link acting out ridiculous twist endings—suggested by viewers as part of a contest—to ads that would otherwise offer prosaic demonstrations of new tools on the brand's website. You can you use FreeCreditScore's "sliders"—that is to say, interactive graphs—to see how different financial actions will affect your credit rating. You can also, according to one new spot, use the sliders to instantly encase every item in your home—including you and your annoying roommate—in bubble wrap, and then embark on a wild, slightly OCD popping spree. You can also use the sliders to transform your house into an llama rodeo, or a doomsaying picnic basket. Or a science-fiction starship captained by a cat. Of course, you can't really do any of those things with FreeCreditReport's website—except the pretty dull part about seeing how your credit score will drop if you get a new credit card or tick up if your lender raises your limit. But watching Rhett & Link play around with the less soul-sucking functionality is not without some entertainment value. Divorced as the scenes may seem from the campaign's sales pitch, they're fairly consistent with the longtime absurdity of FreeCreditScore's marketing—all those years of cheesy jingles. To that end, this campaign's random endings build on the brand's Bret-Michaels-genies-into-your-living-room spot from late last year. The "Make a Better Commercial Than We Did" idea is, depending on your mood, charmingly self-deprecating, antagonistic or some combination of the two. Gimmicky as it is, though, it's a welcome change of pace from the warm-and-fuzzy tack of so many crowdsourcing concepts—even if, in the end, it seems rigged to produce disappointment. CREDITS Client: Experian/Free Credit Score Agency: The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va. Project Credits: Chief Creative Officer: Joe Alexander SVP/Group Creative Director: Andy Azula VP/Creative Director: Steve Sage Associate Creative Director/Art Director: John Szalay Senior Copywriter: Andrew Goldin Copywriter: Justin Bajan SVP/Managing Director: Steve Humble VP/Executive Producer: Brett Alexander Digital Producer: Brian Mount Junior Producer: Caroline Helms Print Producer: Paul Martin Broadcast Producer: Dermot Faulds Business Manager: Angela Payne Account Director: Kathryn Leake Account Supervisor: Caroline Denton Project Manager: Rebecca Gricus Strategic Planner: Malcolm Venable Associate Planning Director: Julie Runner VP/Director, Digital Engagement: Meg Riley Digital Planning Supervisor: Rich Santos Digital Engagement Planner: Monisha Tripithi Assistant Digital Media Planner: Omar Tucker Winning “Suggest” Videos Credits: Production Company: StudioNow Program Director: Matthew Sampson Executive Producer: Benjamin Tyson Associate Producer: Tommy Wilson Associate Producer: Ryan Parrish Winning “Create” Videos Credits: Production Company: Running with Scissors Producer: Brian Creech Website Credits: Production Company: Modus Operandi Executive Producer: Rhys Demery Executive Creative Director: Min Kim Technical Director: James Fiszer Project Manager: Jasen Wong Account Director: Shannon Clune Reaction Clips Credits: Production Company: Trademarky Director: The Clyde Brothers Producer: Mark Meyers Post-Production Company: Running with Scissors Producer: DeeDee Ray Editor: Jim Vaile Introductory Video and Re-Tagged TV Spots: Production Company: Running with Scissors Producer: DeeDee Ray Editor: Jim Vaile Contest Administration: Company: Don Jagoda Manager of Game Security/VP: Kim Thaw

Brand Marketing

Ad of the Day: FreeCreditScore

Rhett & Link act out your wacky suggestions for making the company's ads more entertaining

Gabriel Beltrone

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Gabriel Beltrone