Gino Bona On The Spot

Two days into the low-residency MBA program at Syracuse University, Gino Bona got the call: The 33-year-old had won the NFL's Super Bowl contest inviting consumers to pitch a spot for the big game. Bona, the director of new business development at marketing communications firm Garrand in Portland, Maine, is hardly a novice, which doesn't make this, his first TV spot, any less a coup. His idea: fans reacting abjectly to the end of the season. Bona is on location this week for the shoot. --How did you get into advertising?I graduated from Ithaca College 11 years ago and have worked primarily as an advertising copywriter [at a variety of smaller places]. I also spent some time as a freelance columnist for espn.com and for a couple of years I recorded song parodies for espn.com. I've always been creating and writing. It's kind of funny; I traded in my long hair and sandals to look more presentable because I'm on the sales side now, and [here I am] back in the [creative] world on the biggest of all stages.Why did you enter the contest?I immediately wanted to enter because I'm a big football fan. I was born and raised in Buffalo and I live and die for the Buffalo Bills. I felt I had a good understanding of the product and maybe I would take a crack at it.Your spot's tag line is, "It's hard for us, too." What's the concept? The commercial is to the Boyz II Men's song, "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday." It's just a self-deprecating look at how die-hard football fans get disappointed once the Super Bowl is over because there are no more games to be played for several months. I didn't want it to be about any one team, any one player. I thought it would be nice for the NFL stars and its fans.You pitched your idea to a panel of judges at Giants Stadium. What was that like? It was nerve-racking. I couldn't have any props, I couldn't bring my Mac, I couldn't bring in a storyboard—nothing. You only had 90 seconds to do it. I wanted to at least be entertaining. I walked them through the script, explained the concept while lamely acting out the vignettes and when the part with the music came in I even sang part of the song. I wrestled it all in there.What has it been like working with the NFL in-house marketing team? Has there been much collaboration?There's more than I thought there would be. I sent some revisions for the script and alternate endings that they've requested. They actually have me working, which is great. It's evident they like this concept and they keep coming to me to refine it.Are you excited about working with the spot's director, Joe Pytka? Nervous? He's the best. I admire his work. ... And I'm 5'7". If I push back, I'll be amazed.What's your favorite Super Bowl spot of all time?The E*Trade one years ago with the dancing monkey [and the tag], "Well, we just wasted 2 million bucks." How do you expect your career to change after your spot appears on the game?I expect not to be doing national TV interviews every day. [Bona has appeared on venues including Fox News and ESPN2.] They've been really scary. We'll see. ... I love where I live, I love where I work, but it's been a lot of exposure. Portland has a really good creative economy, a good buzz going on, there's good work going on here and hopefully more people will see that. You've deferred the MBA program since winning the contest. Will you return?This experience gives me a good understanding of how things work. It made sense to defer it. I'm planning on going back.Are you nervous about how the public will react to your spot?I just don't want the talking heads critiquing it. They better not slam mine. I'm working on my thick skin. Name the last ad that made you think, "I wish I had done that."I absolutely live for the Geico cavemen. ... I think the reason I keep laughing is that they are selling car insurance. You can take any kind of product and make brilliant advertising that leaves a lasting impression. What's the smartest business decision you've ever made?Spending countless nights not sleeping to launch my career as a sports columnist. I built my own Web site and after 11 months of a column on it, I got hired by ESPN. My wife thought I was crazy.And what's the dumbest?Quitting a job when I had absolutely no other job lined up.What's your dream assignment?To go back 15 years in time and do a campaign for Michael Jordan. He changed the game of basketball. He was a horrible loser, a terrific winner and he revolutionized advertising to be a pitchman. He's his own brand.What's next for you?More of the same, but I'd like to do it on a higher level. I really enjoy the strategy side. My course work would give me a better understanding of the business and at the same time give me more credibility. All great creative is rooted in strategy, so I'm trying to really hone that down.

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Gino Bona On The Spot

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