Silicon Valley's Martin Starr Chills in the 'No Pressure Zone' in Hotwire's Surreal New Ads

Shopping for a good price on a hotel room can be stressful, with deals coming and going all the time. But with Hotwire, you don't have to stress out, because there are good deals all the time, the online travel brand says in a new campaign from Heat. This is dramatized in trippy fashion in ads depicting the "No Pressure Zone," a Dali-esque environment where actor Martin Starr (best known lately for playing Bertram Gilfoyle on HBO's Silicon Valley) hangs out with a sitar-playing goat named Carl and reflects on how time is merely a construct of human perception. In other words, don't feel rushed to get that great deal on a room right now. There'll always be another one right around the corner. [kickout id="2"] Along with the :30, there is the :15 below, in which Starr tells us the best day to secure a good deal on Hotwire—which, of course, is any day at all. [kickout id="1"] Starr is amusingly deadpan throughout. The goat performs competently as a classic emblem of the surreal. And the spots, directed by David Shane of O Positive, nicely tackle an emotional truth about the category to position Hotwire as the antidote—just a year after the brand was itself pressuring you to book a vacation now, before you die a grisly death. "We wanted to poke fun at high-pressure sales tactics, from spokespeople to mascots to salesy language," Heat creative director Elaine Cox tells Adweek. "Even our call to action—book now, or don't—pushes against the craziness of the category. Because when people are ready to book, they will. And Hotwire deals will always be there. Today, tomorrow, the day after, the day after that, and the day after that." Adds creative director Nichole Geddes: "When booking rooms with online travel agencies, deals are always expiring and supplies are always limited. There's always pressure to get a deal. But Hotwire has great deals all the time. And we wanted to tell people that there's no pressure to book right now, because great deals are always available. So they can book whenever. No pressure necessary." CREDITS Client: Hotwire Campaign: No Pressure Zone Agency – Heat CCO – Steven Stone CEO – John Elder CSO – Justin Cox Managing Director - Aaron Lang Creative Director – Elaine Cox Creative Director - Nichole Geddes Senior Art Director - Austin O'Connor Senior Writer - Phil Van Buren Director of Integrated Production – Joyce Chen Senior Producer – Andy Rosenthal Senior Producer – Arielle Davis Associate Producer - Christine Hurty Account Director - Olivia Balicki Account Supervisor - McKenzy Golding Account Executive - Paris Clark Business Affairs - Ryan Alls Head of Business Affairs - Ramin Mirshah Production Co O Positive Director – David Shane EP – Ralph Laucella Producer – Ken Licata DP – Jeff Cronenweth Production Designer – Heidi Adams Editorial Editorial: Rock Paper Scissors Editor: Christjan Jordan AE: Pieter Viljoen EP: Rana Martin Producer: Dani DuHadway Managing Director: Linda Carlson VFX The Mill – New York Executive Producer: Melanie Wickham Producer: Luis Martin Production Coordinator: Sophie Mitchell Shoot Supervisor: Antoine Douadi 2D Lead: Antoine Douadi 3D Lead: Emily Meger, Andres Eguiguren 2D Artists: Sung Eun Moon, Christoph Schroer 3D Artists: Gordana Fersini, Hannah Lee,Kathy Hui Na Li, Tim Kim, Nick Couret, Scott Denton Motion Graphics: Bobby Ushiro, Kyle Leicht Colorist: Josh Bohoskey Music + Mix Composer: Beacon Street Studios - Andrew Feltenstein + John Nau Producer: Lindsey Lerman Sound Design/Mixer: Rommel Molina Mix Assistant: Vivi Rojas SD/Mix Producer: Kate Vadnais

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Silicon Valley's Martin Starr Chills in the 'No Pressure Zone' in Hotwire's Surreal New Ads

Where time is just a construct

Tim Nudd

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