She's an attractive blonde who enthusiastically rattles off her telephone number to her seatmate as they step off a plane.
He's a pudgy geek who obviously can't believe his good luck in obtaining the fair damsel's number. The only question is: Will he remember it?
An amusing race against time follows in the first of a series of new ads from GSD&M for SBC Communications' directory assistance service. The spot has been running in SBC's Midwest market for Ameritech, and breaks this week in Texas and other Southwestern Bell markets.
As the young man sets off on a desperate airport-wide search for pen and paper, his focused chanting of the woman's number becomes infiltrated by flight numbers, public address system announcements and a waitress calling out an order, until the prized phone number is lost.
With SBC directory assistance, "all you need is a name and a city," the voiceover says.
San Antonio, Texas-based SBC re-assigned the bulk of the $80-100 million Ameritech business to GSD&M following the dismissal of Lowe, Lintas & Partners in June. The company has since run ads from its shops and archives, including one from former lead agency D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles called "Squirrels" in support of a second phone line.
The airport spot is one of three behind SBC directory assistance.
"Everybody does know to dial 1411 [for information], but they don't know they can now dial 1411 and get numbers nationwide," said Steve Miller, group creative director at GSD&M in Austin, Texas. "The SBC family seems to be moving in the direction of being a little more aggressive ... and has allowed us to explore humor with these ads."
In a second 30-second execution,"Cousins," a man's funeral goes unattended because his relatives don't have the phone numbers of his friends.
The total budget for the campaign, which includes radio and outdoor elements, is estimated at$10 million.