Well it was bound to happen. Mr. Bill, the throw-back Saturday Night Live character circa 1976, will appear in the latest MasterCard spots.
First produced in 1997, MC’s “Priceless” campaign will see it’s latest iteration with the clay-mation spot.
“He is being revived as a debit-card holder who gets roughed up but keeps on going. The 30-second spot, to start airing next Monday, casts Mr. Bill as an urban professional on his daily routine:
Mr. Hands pours hot coffee on him (“coffee: $2”), a personal trainer launches him off a treadmill (“gym: $59/mo.”), and an opened briefcase flips him onto the windshield of a city bus (“briefcase: $120”).
Mr. Bill, rolling with endless punches, just enjoys the ride home: “Making it through the day: priceless.” A voice-over adds, “For whatever comes your way, there’s debit MasterCard.”
According to the Times, Walter Williams, the character’s creator, uses profits from the spots to underwrite non-profit efforts in New Orleans.
Pretty sweet to see Mr. Bill doing some good. Really interesting since he was created with a budget of $10 back in ’76. Are these spots getting old? I don’t think so. Y’all?