Gary Cole, the Actor You Know From Everything, Is Now the Time-Traveling Spokesguy for Kabbage

Gary Cole plays a time-tripping spokesman who visits from 10 minutes in the future to illustrate how quickly and efficiently Kabbage can provide funding to small businesses.

In the amusing 30-second spot below, we meet some business types in a warehouse, fretting over how to get quick cash for expansion. In pops Cole, as “10 Minutes in the Future Spokesguy,” assuring them that Kabbage can supply funds in—wait for it—just 10 minutes.

You’ll almost certainly recognize Cole, from his iconic role as nightmare boss Bill Lumbergh from Office Space or perhaps as nightmare father Reese Bobby from Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Or maybe from 500 other roles he’s crushed with his subtle panache.

Self-consciously chill and slightly smarmy, with feathered salt-and-pepper coiffure and matching facial hair, Cole plays the part to perfection. Well, “parts,” actually, because business-suited “10 Minutes Guy” is soon joined by his tuxedoed, champagne-bearing “10 Days in the Future” counterpart. “That Kabbage funding helped you win the Gundlefinger account—congratulations,” announces the new arrival.

A moment later, “10 Years in the Future Spokesguy” shows up to join the celebration, and he’s clearly aged well.

“Our customers demonstrated the true market need for flexible funding by accessing more than $2 billion with Kabbage last year,” says Kabbage head of brand and growth Michelle Lisowski. The campaign aims to channel that spirit, using zippy humor to convey the company’s mandate “to make it easy for small businesses to get funding so they can focus on their business instead of their finances,” she says.

This first commercial succeeds in that mission. It establishes a fab, funny concept that should have a shelf life way longer than 10 days, much less 10 minutes. As for 10 years, well, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.

CREDITS:

Kabbage:
Head of Brand and Growth: Michelle Lisowski
Brand Manager: Audrey Trinidad
Media Manager: Casey McElroy
Creative Lead: Stephen Johnson

Agency: Eleven
Chief Creative Officer: Mike McKay
Creative Director: Chad Leitz
Art Director: Jason Rosenberg
Copywriter: John Friedman
Producer: Nikki Sikes
Business Director: Matt Allen
Strategy: Ryan Ku
Project Manager: Sophie Rowland

Talent:
Spokesguys: Gary Cole
Upper Management Woman: Nikki Mccauley
Accountant Guy: David Ury
Stockroom Worker: Sheidon Coolman
Stand In/Body Double: Chris Crater

Production Company: The Directors Bureau
Director: Dugan O’Neal
MD/Exec Producer: Lisa Margulis
Executive Producer: Jacki Calleiro
Line Producer: Benjamin Gilovitz
Director of Photography: Christian Sprenger

Editors: Hutchco Technologies, Inc
Editor: Joaquin Machado
Executive Producer: Jane Hutchins

Colorist:
Greg Reese at the Mill in LA

VO record: 740 Sound

Sound Design: Lime LA

Audio Mix: Dave Wagg at Lime LA

Conform and VFX: Austin Hickman-Fain at Serious Electronics