Discovery.com Debuts ‘Two Guys’

Riney’s Costumed Creations Add Some Levity to the Web Brand
SAN FRANCISCO–The Discovery Channel has long lured people to their television sets with stunning documentaries and close-up shots of rare wildlife.
A new ad campaign for Discovery.com also offers the requisite shots of insects, animals and natural objects–except this time they are actually men in poor disguises.
The campaign, titled “Two Guys,” kicked off nationally this month for a summer run. The tagline is, “Discover something new every day.”
Tim Maleeny, senior vice president and account director at Discovery.com agency Publicis & Hal Riney, San Francisco, said the campaign is “raw and edgy.”
“We thought it was time to use humor to present the Discovery brand from a different perspective,” Maleeny said.
In one ad, two mosquitoes are shown landing on a man’s arm. The camera zooms to a close-up that reveals the bugs to be middle-aged men dressed in insect costumes. The bugs start drinking blood out of straws and talking about the virtues of Discovery.com. One of the bugs, though, meets his demise in the form of a well-placed swat.
In another spot, two men are shown dressed up as meteors. They begin exchanging information they learned on Discovery.com, and one remarks that most meteors burn up in the earth’s atmosphere.The camera then flashes to show both of the guys engulfed in flames.
Discovery.com officials said the campaign is built around the traditional Discovery brand but tries to play to a younger consumer with an offbeat sense of humor.
Print work will run in such magazines and newspapers as Time, USA Today and People.
The TV spots will air on the Discovery Channel and sister stations such as Animal Planet and the Travel Channel.
This is the first batch of advertising from Riney for the client since winning its $50 million account late last year.
Among the agency’s other clients are Saturn, Sprint, Henry Weinhard’s beer and eToys. K