CarMax’s Cheeky New Ad Puts the Brakes on Settling

Besides containing cautionary tales about tattoo supervision and dinner table conversations to avoid in front of your grandmother, CarMax’s new campaign has one message for consumers they want them to heed most of all: never settle. The used car marketplace and its agency, The Martin Agency, are ringing in the new year with a cheeky integrated campaign designed to empowering consumers who often find the car-buying experience daunting and deflating. For its anchor spot, “Unsettle” the partners enlisted Emmy-nominated actor and comedian, Jessica Williams. She hilariously depicts absurd scenarios in which she takes a “test bath” in a store bathtub, attempts to persuade a server into revealing the “Market Price” on a menu item and experiences buyer’s remorse after a tattoo mishap. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJMLwbOtiIM Of course, most these are frowned upon. However, these practices are acceptable and encouraged when car-shopping using the retailer’s Test-Drive, Price Transparency and 30-Day Money Back Guarantee offerings. Another spot includes “Lobster Facts” in which a clever little boy dressed as his favorite crustacean inadvertently helps his dad choose the color of an SUV he shopped for online. Elsewhere, “Family Dinner,” shows a young woman assuring her family that, unlike her sister, she’s making good choices using CarMax; while “College Drop Off,” features a mom in the midst of an emotional sendoff suddenly unable to contain her excitement when she receives an offer to get rid of her “mom van.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WD7zSRsFG0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVVFYcp9HDM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foBgJzc5IjQ Targeting multiple demographics "In advertising all you ever hear is millennial, millennial, millennial—and most recently, Gen Z, Gen Z, Gen Z. So as a Gen Xer, you can imagine my delight, when the team brought a script that spoke so directly to me as the mother of two children who recently left the nest,” Anne Marie Hite, svp and group creative director at The Martin Agency, told Adweek. Yujin Heo, CarMax’s vp of creative, explained the company intentionally set out to feature a diverse cast and stories that reflect the diverse communities in the country and the world. “I think that it’s important to represent who our customers are and how they experience things,” said Heo, noting “Lobster Facts” was a continuation of efforts the brand made last year to center family members of all ages in the car-buying process. All the spots were directed by “Righteous Gemstones” co-creator, director and producer, Jody Hill, and will run on broadcast, online and via social, with additional amplification through influencers and a partnership with “The Bachelor” on ABC. CREDITS The Martin Agency Lindsey Netto , VP, Group Account Director Jerry Hoak, Executive Creative Director Caroline Rudzinski, Account Director Claire Jones, Senior Project Manager Brittney Woods, Account Executive Anne Marie Hite, SVP, Group Creative Director Lindsey King, Creative Director Madeline Guzzo, Senior Art Director Stephanie Vicari, Senior Copywriter Robyn Makinson, Design Director Jenni Renas, Designer Katie Morgan, Content Producer Heather Collier, Executive Content Producer Anna Gilliam, Associate Print and Product Producer Allison Farrell, Art Director Nia Shima-Franklin, Copywriter Ali Chastain, Strategic Planning Director Allie Ballard, Senior Strategic Planner Lexi Magenheim, Strategic Planner Taylor McKee, Communications Planning Director Alex Angert, Associate Director, PR Jasmine Lubin, Specialist, PRLauren Brennan, VP, Head of PR Analiese Kern, Associate Director, Influencer Partnerships Jake Rosenblatt, Director, Influencer Partnerships Julia Seng-Sourinho, Senior Social Strategist Suzanne Wieringo, Associate Director, Business Affairs Kelly Clow, Associate Director, Financial Affairs Debbie Douglas, Broadcast Traffic Director CARMAX Vice President, Creative Yujin Heo Director, Brand Experience Strategy Jaryn Creasy Creative Director Malissa Mackenzie Creative Director, Social Jessie Kantor Sr Manager, Marketing Operation Chloe Bos Manager, Marketing Operations Agency Management Alice Chambers SUPERJOY (Editorial and Finish) Head of Production Kerry Ayers Senior Producer Chris Frendo Senior Producer Katherine Leatherwood Editor Tiffany Burchard Asst Editor: Tony Schaffner and Will Rummell Flame Artist: Paul Wiederfold, Ben Fox, Armando DeMarchi CAVIAR (Production) Director Jody Hill Director of Photography: Kira Kelly EP Tova Dann Head of Production Cat Craven-Griffiths Line Producer Maggie McLean TINY LION (Music) Jonathan Fuller Amanda Patterson Andrew Everding OVERCOAST (Sound Design) Producer: Travis Tucker Sound Designer: Alec Chojnacki and Jonathan Waller ROYAL MUSTER (Color) Colorist: Roslyn Di Sisto Producer: Mathew Fulton Coca-Cola’s Chaotic Family Epic Gathers Together Its Many Brands