Every organization seems to have an employee that makes meetings miserable by rejecting any idea that’s not theirs. Ecommerce tech platform Commercetools and Chicago-based b-to-b digital agency Walker Sands cast Arrested Development and BoJack Horseman star Will Arnett to embody both that frustrating coworker and a dated, inflexible commerce mindset in “The Naysayer Campaign.”
The ad, which launched globally on May 17, leads with a 90-second spot showing a meeting constantly interrupted by Arnett’s insufferable character. While other members of the meeting suggest shoppable social, integration with gaming apps, in-flight commerce and selling in the metaverse, Arnett mocks all those modern tactics and suggests abandoning ecommerce altogether and going back to catalogs. The spot ends with the message, “Is your legacy tech struggling to keep up? Switch to Commercetools.”
“We couldn’t be more excited to bring The Naysayer—who we’ve all worked with before—to life,” Commercetools chief marketing officer Jen Jones said in a statement. “At Commercetools, we pride ourselves on being direct, bold and creative, and ‘The Naysayer Campaign’ embodies just that.
“We’re delighted to have Will Arnett on board to shine a light on how brands across all industries are held back when they use outdated technology and how legacy ecommerce platforms prevent long-term brand success and innovation.”
The campaign will incorporate global video, digital and social media ads as well as billboards and airport signage throughout the U.S. The effort was first teased in March at Shoptalk in Las Vegas and will also be featured at other industry events including OMR 2022 in Hamburg, Germany; Shoptalk Europe in London; and K5 in Berlin.
“The idea of taking something so complex, technical and dry—such as b-to-b technology—and bringing humor and lightheartedness to make a point really resonated with us and felt like a great fit with our company culture as well,” Jones said. “We’re a deeply technical company, firmly rooted in decades of commerce-tech expertise, but we’re also a fun group with a warm, open company culture that celebrates our global team and seeks to have fun in our day-to-day. This campaign not only shows our dedication to helping solve our customers’ business challenges, it also encapsulates our unique company persona as well.”
