Hang On, Did Olive Garden Just Make a Really Good Commercial?

Olive Garden's advertising has long been distinguished by its unlimited blandness, which some might argue is a decent representation of the food there. But during NBC's Red Nose Day telethon Thursday night, viewers will get a very different look at the Olive Garden brand promise, via this 60-second spot from Grey New York. It's about as far from your typical Olive Garden spot as you could get. Instead of the overly produced, food-shot-heavy clip, we get a montage of home-movie footage all based around the idea of family. The restaurant chain has used the line "We're all family here" since 2013, but its communication of the concept has been far from inspired. Here, though, there's real life and real emotion. And it's hard to imagine a brand that could use a jolt like that more urgently. Focusing on real moments is quite a leap for Olive Garden. And whether or not people buy into it—an emotionally rich ad isn't going to change the food, after all—it does suggest the marketer is willing to go outside its comfort zone and loosen its grip on the kind of safe but forgettable messaging for which it's known. Even the in-restaurant footage at the end is remarkably low-fi and unadorned. That's impressive for such a manicured brand, and suggests that Olive Garden knows something about real families and real moments, not just TV ones—and hosts them daily. The amateur version of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros track "Home" pulls it all together—a song full of emotion, rendered simply. That's the vibe of the whole ad. Whether it signals a real change for Olive Garden remains to be seen. (Grey New York has been churning out the more genetic stuff—like this, just a couple of weeks ago—for Olive Garden since 1984.) But this could be a pleasantly surprising first step. CREDITS Client: Olive Garden Spot: "Home" Agency: Grey NY Worldwide Chief Creative Officer: Tor Myhren Chief Creative Officer: Andreas Dahlqvist Chief Marketing Officer: Jane Reiss President, Grey Activation/PR: Amy Tunick Executive Creative Director: Ari Halper Executive Creative Director: Stephen Krauss Executive Creative Director: Jan Egan Executive Creative Director: Ron Castillo Creative Director: Brad Mancuso Creative Director: Susan LaScala Wood Art Director: Jonathan Hsu Copywriter: Gail Barlow & Paul Elicker VP Executive Producers (Agency): Seth Gorenstein & Adam Seely SVP Account Director: Nadine Falco VP Account Directors: Christina Pantina & Jamie Shiembob Strategy: Dominic Hanley Editor (person & company): Cindy Nielsen & Charlie Cusumano, Vision Post Assistant Casting Director: Brian Safuto EVP Director of Music (Agency): Josh Rabinowitz VP Director of Music Licensing (Agency): Amy Rosen Project Manager: Jasmine Mangana Color & Finishing: Nice Shoes Colorist: Sal Malfitano VFX Artist: Russ Bigsby

Brand Marketing

Hang On, Did Olive Garden Just Make a Really Good Commercial?

So long, food shots. Hello, family

Tim Nudd

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Tim Nudd