Adam&EveDDB launched a new spot promoting H&M’s Modern Essentials collection via David Beckham and Kevin Hart, or the latest incarnation of the classic “odd couple” trope.
In “The Road Trip,” the identically-dressed duo are making their way to Las Vegas to pitch Hart’s idea for an “I, Beckham” musical, despite his own apparent lack of any musical talent. Beckham, predictably, plays the straight man as the two get pulled over by a cop who really just wants a selfie.
Hart then proceeds to get the two into all kinds of trouble over the course of the long-form spot, which runs over five minutes.
The concept could have sustained a 60-second spot for the brand, as Beckham and Hart showcase the Modern Essentials line, but many of the attempted jokes don’t really land.
For better or worse, the drawn out, celebrity focused ad has become something of its own genre, particularly in the wake of Anomaly’s “The Gentleman’s Wager” series for Johnnie Walker starring Jude Law. “The Road Trip” will attract some attention for H&M based on the celebrity names alone, though it’s unclear whether that will translate to sales.
On that celebrity front, a recent headline in Vanity Fair read: “Brand It Like Beckham: Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz, and Harper Beckham Are Already Developing Their Personal Brands.”
This should really be labeled as sponsored content. How did Beckham’s PR firm not pay for that placement?
Credits:
Head of Marketing Creative, H&M: Erik Zetterberg
Head of Marketing, H&M: Daniel Herrmann
Project Manager, H&M: Fia Ingman
Agency: Adam & Eve/DDB
Chief creative officer: Ben Priest
Executive Creative Directors: Ben Tollett, Richard Brim
Copywriter: Patrick McClelland
Art Director: Feargal Ballance
Agency Producer: Jack Bayley
Account Director: James Rowe
Production Company: Sonny/MJZ
Director: Fredrik Bond, Sonny London
Producer: Alicia Richards, Sonny London
Editor: Tim Thornton-Allan
Assistant Editor: Matthew Pochettino
Sound Designer: Anthony Moore, Factory Studios
Soundtrack Composers: Bill Martin, Phil Coulter
Post production: Glassworks
Post production Producer: Abi Klimaszewska
Project Lead 2D: Duncan Malcolm
Project Lead 3D: Jordi Bares
Colourist: Daniel De Vue