You can try to make your own ham this Christmas, says a new ad. But you might end up needing a chainsaw to cut it.
Instead, try a ham—pre-glazed and ready-to-serve—from The HoneyBaked Ham Company, argues the ad, from BBDO Atlanta.
In the spot, a thirtysomething everywoman protagonist, Kelly, grapples with trying to glaze and bake a ham herself. Her pooch doesn’t help (or does, depending on your perspective). But suffice it to say, things don’t go very well. The “KellyBaked” ham, as the voiceover calls her disastrous recipe, is a starkly poor alternative to the marketer’s own HoneyBaked Ham.
This is the company’s first TV advertising in 10 years, and its first ever from BBDO, its new lead creative agency. The irony is that glazing and baking a ham is pretty far from the hardest feat of cooking imaginable. But to HoneyBaked’s credit, its wares are an ode to laziness, ready to eat out of the refrigerator (or warmed by the slice, if you prefer).
BBDO’s approach is amusing enough, with the sort of comedic pacing and dichotomy that might evoke DirecTV’s classic cable-vs.-satellite ads. Mostly, it deserves credit for its branding blitz. The ad crams in the phrase “HoneyBaked Ham” a solid eight times, ensuring that nobody could possibly forget the name even if they wanted to—and that accomplished even without the idea feeling burnt to a crisp.
CREDITS
Agency: BBDO Atlanta
Client: The Honey Baked Ham Company
Title: “KellyBaked”
Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide: David Lubars
Chief Creative Officer, Atlanta: Robin Fitzgerald
Creative Director Danny Corrales
Creative Director: Patrick Lindsay
Senior Copywriter: Emily Miller
Head of Production and Innovation: Marc Calamia
Senior Producer: Renee Williams Royal
Chief Strategy Officer: Tricia Russo
Senior Account Director: Tami Oliva
Account Director: Kelly Willard
Production: Bob Industries
Director: Harry Cocciolo
Executive Producer/Managing Partner: TK Knowles
Executive Producer/Managing Partner: John O’Grady
Producer: Phillip Sheridan
Production: Canteen
Director: Pablo Munoz
Executive Producer: Elyse Sara
Edit: Hero Post
Executive Producer: Molly Baroco
Producer: Katie Janse
Editor: Jeff Jay
Finishing: Andrew Pope
