Ad of the Day: Will the World's Second-Oddest Family Be a Winner for Sprint?

Dad is a hamster, voiced by Andrew Dice Clay. One son, played by new Saturday Night Live cast member Kyle Mooney, is supposed to be at college, except he's home most of the time. Another son is an eccentric drawn to scrapbooking and ventriloquism. The sole daughter speaks only in French. Mom is actually normal (i.e., exceptional by being unexceptional). The family is mostly white, except Grandpa is black. And let's not even get into their motley group of friends. Sprint's new ad family (or rather, "framily"), the Frobinsons, created by Figliulo&Partners, are even more diverse and inclusive than your average Honey Maid family. They're a lot more peculiar, though—and no wonder. They're based partly on the multi-species Shitaro family (in which Dad is a dog) from Japan's famously quirky yet beloved ads for Softbank, which acquired Sprint last year. Sprint breaks two launch spots (see both below) on Monday night. The new theme will be "Happy Connecting." The question is, will U.S. viewers be as open to such self-conscious weirdness as the Japanese have been? "The American family has changed. Our families today are more than our relatives, but also our friends, our neighbors—basically all the people we love," Sprint CMO Jeff Hallock says in a statement. "So we created a product to give the new American family the flexibility and value they need from a wireless plan, brought to life through the Frobinsons. Our campaign acknowledges that we all have families that are unique with interesting personalities. It's a fun, lighthearted look at one group going through life as one big, happy Framily." "The Frobinsons are a typical American family. They are a strange mix of individuals that care very deeply about each other and we wanted to create a group of characters that are familiar and very unique at the same time," adds Mark Figliulo, who opened Figliulo&Partners last fall and signed Sprint as his first client after leaving TBWA\Chiat\Day in New York. "We know that people are happiest when they are connected to the people and things they care about most. That's why everything we do ends on a beginning: Happy Connecting." The first two spots are basically trailers for what will be an episodic story over the next several months, featuring various celebrity cameos. It's certainly an ambitious approach. And while it seems obvious to say so, a lot will depend on the execution. If the spots are well written, the characters will come to life and the premise will quickly seem endearing; if not, the work could just as quickly be in trouble. But the client seems excited about it, and clearly has faith in Figliulo—or should we say, fraith in Frigliulo. It should be an interesting ride. CREDITS Client: Sprint Brand Agency: Figliulo&Partners Chief Creative Officer: Mark Figliulo Creative Directors: Jonathan Mackler, Joe Ventura Art Director: Jonathan Mackler, Craig Duffney Copywriter: Joe Ventura Account Executive(s): Judith Carr-Rodriguez, Dena Graham Planning: Caroline Krediet Head of Production: Robert Valdes Producer(s): Katherine Cheng Art Producer: Carly Chappell Print Production: Sarah Whinnem Business Affairs: Samantha Norvin Digital Agency: DigitasLBi Creative Directors: Lewis McVey Art Director: Keith Henneman, Christine Monahan Copywriter: David Shih, Nate Winter Project Manager(s): Courtney Klein, Matt Hill Account Executive(s): Davin Power, Alex Raymond, Caitlin Kelly, Cristin Jordan Planning: Mark Kirby Business Affairs: Dan Simonetti, Wilmien Blake Technology: Tony Bailey, Paul Nagorney, Nathan Dill, Angie Khumdee Media Agency: MediaVest Media Spend: TBC Media team: Terry Whitney, Tracy Reimers, Debbie Hutchings, Bridget Scanlan, Kandace Barker Photographer/Designer: Emily Shur with Giant Artists Production Company: Imperial Woodpecker Director: Stacy Wall Director of Photography: John Lynch Executive Producer: Charlie Cocuzza Line Producer: Betsy Oliver Editorial: Whitehouse Post Editors: Lisa Gunning, Alaster Jordan Assistant Editor: Josh James Executive Producer: Lauren Hertzberg Producer: Nick Crane Publishing: Music: Home Sweet Home/Motley Crew Composer: Tommy Lee and Nikki Sixx Audio Mix: Sound Lounge NY Home Sweet Home performed by Tatyana Richaud in "Framily Portraits" Home Sweet Home arrangement for "Meet The Frobinsons Framily": Lee Wall Mixer: Tom Jucarone Talents: Dad's vo: Andrew Dice Clay Chuck: Kyle Mooney Mom: Judy Greer

Brand Marketing

Ad of the Day: Will the World's Second-Oddest Family Be a Winner for Sprint?

Figliulo emulates Japanese ads

Tim Nudd

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Tim Nudd