Ad of the Day: Xfinity

Comcast’s attempt last year to spruce up its image by rebranding its high-speed services under the somewhat dubious name Xfinity was met, as one might expect, with ridicule. But now, the company has opted against completely throwing out the baby with the bathwater, so to speak—reprising Comcast’s old, popular spokes-turtles, the Slowskys, after a long hiatus. In fact, agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners has added offspring to the mix. Karolyn and Bill, formerly a pair, use two new spots to introduce their son, Stanley—or Bill Jr.—depending on which parent you ask. Naturally, they blame their miscommunication over the name on a slow DSL connection.

While Comcast first introduced the Slowskys in 2006, it last debuted a commercial featuring the couple during Super Bowl 2009, when Bill found Karolyn entirely unreceptive to the down-tempo thrills of wagon riding. Given their penchant for marital spats and dedication to maintaining a leisurely pace in all affairs, it’s no surprise the Slowskys took a couple of years to procreate. But Xfinity also appears to have been busy with other ads of late, putting out a series of anthem commercials (not produced by Goodby) that centered around obnoxious jingles. Creating those, not to mention other, less-compelling spots, likely distracted the brand from churning out more humorously sluggish animatronic reptiles.

Credits

Client: Xfinity

Spots: “Name Game,” “Good Things”

Agency: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners

Executive Creative Director: Jamie Barrett

Associate Creative Director: Paul Charney

Associate Creative Director: Stefan Copiz 

Art Director: Javier Torok

Copywriter: John Lightstone

Producer: Jake Grand

Executive Producer: Tod Puckett

Business Affairs: Michael Graves

Account Director: Ashley Weber

Account Operations Manager: Jason Pelton

Director: Scott Vincent

Production Company: Hungry Man

Director of Photography: Jonathan Sela

Line Producer: Caleb Dewart

Executive Producer: Cindy Becker

Music: Elias

Sound Design: 740 Sound Design

Executive Producer: Scott Ganary

Editorial Company: HutchCo

Editor: Jim Hutchins

Assistant Editor: Joaquin Machado

Executive Producer: Jane Hutchins

Motion Graphics: Life Long Friendship Society

Mixed by: Rohan Young @ Lime Studios

Final Post: Brickyard VFX

Final Color: Company 3, Siggy Ferstl