Portal A, a small San Francisco/Los Angeles agency, specializes in creating “branded and original video for the web.” Its most recent project that came to our attention was the official music video promo for classic Shakespearean coming-of-age drama Pitch Perfect 2.
But that’s not all Portal A does. In addition to creating such campaigns for clients, the agency also occasionally updates Ad Hoc, a channel that its team uses to (in their own words) poke fun at “the most self-important, overwrought ads” in the business.
Sounds fun, no? The latest recipient of that Portal A brand shade is Airbnb, which released a very existential spot by TBWA last week. The ad positioned the literal kindness of strangers as the reason behind the “startup” company’s runaway success, but some felt there was a too-close-for-comfort element to the work and its odd social media messaging efforts.
Here’s the new take on “Is Mankind?”:
Would you trust this man in your home? “He left pubic hair in your bed; he found your panties and tried them on; he watched porn in your kitchen…” He’s your standard angry old dude, really.
The AdHoc project began in 2013 with this much-needed testicular mockery of the endless Dove “Real Beauty” campaign:
Other recent AdHoc projects include a satirical take on BBDO’s Carnival Cruise Super Bowl spot. As Portal A partner Zach Blume puts it, “There’s definitely a strain of satire, irony, and self-awareness that runs through our work,” and that line of thinking better prepares the agency to playfully criticize prominent campaigns created by its competitors.
Now who should they make fun of next?