Champion sheds its serious image Laugh In

Hogs drink out of toilets, a house teeters on a cliff and a man laughs uncontrollably at his daughter's wedding reception in new spots from Champion Mortgage. Doesn't sound like the right sort of scenarios for the financial category? Champion says yes.In fact, the line "Champion says yes" is the one remnant of previous advertising that remains in the first work from the Martin Agency for the home-mortgage lender. Previous ads, done in-house, that featured Champion's CEO Joseph Goryeb telling viewers about the company from its New Jersey offices have been replaced with consumers in exaggerated situations."We did lots of testing to find out what was on consumers' minds," says Steve Bassett, creative director at the Richmond, Va.-based shop. "We thought lighthearted and humorous concepts would be more interesting." It turns out focus groups agreed. One participant neatly summed up the Martin team's thoughts, telling the moderator, "I already know [struggling with my finances] is a serious situation. Tell me something I don't know."The Martin team did. It focused on Champion as a solution for a variety of problems, from debt consolidation and refinancing to big expenses like weddings or college.In one spot, shot in black-and- white, a house rests halfway over the edge of a cliff. Inside, a family is eating dinner. As the wife announces that the water heater needs to be replaced, the house tilts toward the gulf. The daughter reveals she needs braces, and the house leans farther over. When the mother tells the son they won't be putting in a pool, the home seems to level off, only to be tipped again by the weight of an unpaid bill that slides in through the mail slot."It came from a combination of a '50s sitcom and a '50s horror movie," says director Hank Perlman of Hungry Man, New York. The music resembles the over-the-top scores of old horror movies, but the family has that squeaky-clean look and attitude of shows like Leave it to Beaver. "Everything is a little askew, as if it's an alternate reality. Otherwise, it would have come off too scary," he says.Each of the four ads has a distinct tone and execution, says Perlman. The one in which a father of the bride is asked to make a toast is voyeuristic. "You want viewers to feel like they're at the reception," he says. In the spot, the father laughs uncontrollably and finally manages to blurt out, "I have absolutely no way of paying for any of this."In a spot that relies so heavily on one actor's performance, the casting session is key. The actor who was hired has a background in theater. "He paced himself well," says Perlman. "He had endurance that commercial actors don't always have."Another spot features a couple who have rented out their basement for hog auctions to make extra money. A fourth ad takes a tour of the Hall of Mistakes museum, which includes "hair atrocities" and a man who failed to refinance his house when interest rates were low. As in all the ads, it ends with a question. The VO asks: "Is now the perfect time to refinance? Champion says yes."Perlman admits that making each commercial look and feel different was a challenge, but notes it's smart for the company's image. "It makes Champion feel more substantial."The new attitude in Champion's ads hasn't edged out its main goal, getting people to call in. As his team presented each concept to focus groups, Basset looked for responses like, 'Champion understands me. I can see myself in that. That would make me pick up the phone.' "Especially that last one," he says.

Brand Marketing

Champion sheds its serious image Laugh In

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