Meet A.J., a sales associate at an L.L. Bean retail store somewhere in America. Having worked in clothing retail for a good number of years, I can tell you with great certainty that A.J.’s an overachiever. If his portrayal in this holiday campaign for L.L. Bean from GSD&M is an accurate depiction of A.J.’s expansive knowledge of the clothing he sells, his manager must love him and his co-workers must secretly despise him, making a special point not to invite him out to after work drinks at the local Maine tavern.
Thankfully, not every employee in this TV and online campaign is as unlikable as A.J. For example, we have Jason, the enthusiastic, no nonsense, heavily accented leather cutter. Be honest, wouldn’t you love it if you knew your boots were cut by this guy?
And then there’s Nicole, a “comfort-seller” who works in the L.L. Bean footwear department. A.J. could really learn a valuable lesson from Nicole’s dedication to her customer’s happiness. Remember, A.J., instead of being a suck up and memorizing totally useless information about your store’s products, just be kind and courteous, like Nicole. That’s why she gets to go out for drinks and you’re stuck at home with only your mesh pockets to keep you warm.
See more videos here and view credits after the jump.
Group Creative Directors: Jay Russell
Assoc. Creative Director AD: Barry Brothers
Assoc. Creative Director Writer: Jake Camozzi
Art Director: Madeline, DeWree, Stuart Knowlan
Writer: Reagan Ward, Tim Yuen
Studio Art: Trish Maynard
Developers: Todd Black
QA: Amy Hall
Executive Producer: Shannon Worley
Producer: Alison Wagner
Digital Producer: Teresa Villasenor
Project Manager: Dee Dee Swartz
Director: Jeff Preiss
Prod Company: Epoch Films
Editorial: Cut + Run
Art Buyer: Marilyn Rose
Business Affairs Supervisor: Jacqueline Djanikian
Account Service: David Hughes, Elizabeth Perez, Nadia Elias
Marketplace Planning: Elizabeth Thompson, David Matathia