It may be hard for Boston Red Sox fans to imagine, especially with the stellar year he’s having, but David Ortiz plans to retire at the end of 2016 after 14 seasons with the club and 20 total (as an Orioles fan, I can’t say I’ll miss him). To say goodbye to the aging slugger, MullenLowe crafted a spot for Red Sox sponsor JetBlue entitled “David Ortiz vs. Piñatas.”
The 45-second spot finds Ortiz mulling over his post-retirement plans. He imagines himself working kids’ parties busting piñatas. Predictably, his swing may be a bit too forceful to make the plan practical.
It’s a simple but effective ad, finding humor in Big Papi’s monstrous swing demolishing a series of piñatas in one swing. Each time, a group of children looks on, their party ruined as they can’t collect the candy, which inevitably finds itself home run distances away from its launch spot. The 45-second ads ends with the message “Whatever’s next for you Big Papi, good luck.” Sure to appeal to Red Sox fans, the ad’s lighthearted humor could also resonate with more casual fans (even those who dread Big Papi coming up to bat).
Credits:
Client: JetBlue
Agency: MullenLowe
Creative
Chief Creative Officer: Mark Wenneker
Executive Creative Directors: Tim Vaccarino, Dave Weist
Creative Directors: Amy Ferguson, Julia Neumann
Copywriter: Chris Gilbert
Art Director: Dan Pappas
Production
Execkutive Director of Integrated Production: Liza Near
Director of Broadcast Production: Zeke Bowman
Producer: Matt Polski
Senior Digital Producer: Louise Lloyd Owen
Production Supervisor: Kristine Ring-Janicki
Senior Art Producer: Jessica Manning
Senior Production Artist: Julie Sforza
Project Manager: Christina Gratton
Senior Business Affairs Manager: Amy Keddy
Account Management
Executive Director: Drayton Martin
Account Director: Molly Bluhm
Account Executive: Beba Rivera
Strategy
Group Strategy Director: Ellie Gogan-Tilstone
Senior Strategist: Mike Patrick
Media
Senior Vice President, Group Digital Director: Jade Watts
Associate Digital Media Supervisor: Tracy Barahona
Associate Media Director: Kelly McGowan
Digital Media Supervisor: Shoshana Levine
Senior Media Planner: Lauren Meyers
PR, Social
Senior Vice President, PR Account Director: Jaclyn Ruelle
PR Account Supervisor: Brittany Topham
PR Assistant Account Executives: Kelsey Labrot, Meg Weldon
Production Company: Arts & Sciences
Director: Matt Aselton
Executive Producer: Marc Marrie
Producer: Zoe Odlum
Editing: MackCut
Editor: Ian Mackenzie
Assistant Editor: Mike Leuis
Executive Producer: Sasha Hirschfeld
Producer: Sabina-Elease Utley
Color: Company 3
Colorist: Tom Poole
Animation, Graphics: Method
Executive Producer: Angela Lupo
Visual Effects Producer: Matthew Engel
Sound Design, Mixing: MackCut
Mixer: Sam Shaffer
Music: Storefront Music