Zappos Has Good News for Your Llama, Comma and Diorama in Its Ads About Cutting Drama

Continuing the recent trend of silly wordplay ads like MailChimp’s sound-alike MailShrimp/KaleLimp/JailBlimp campaign, Zappos has launched a new set of short-form spots that aim to get across its message of no-hassle customer service.

It’s a simple message that somehow involves an overworked comma, an 18th century prima donna, a teenage llama and a kid’s diorama.

“We basically took the ‘save the drama for your mama’ joke and went a little crazy with it,” said creative director Aryan Aminzadeh from creative agency barrettSF.

The ads were created with the help of Comedy Bang! Bang! director Ben Berman.

When there’s so little to fuss about with the shoe and clothing brand, the ads say, consumers can expend that energy scolding their wayward camelid or battling over the last taquito with a Marie Antoinette lookalike.

The approach follows another popular ad trend (aside from the intentionally bad puns and rhymes)—the wacky scenario that, because it doesn’t make sense, is supposed to at least leave an impression. This growing popularity of this approach likely stems both from today’s uphill battle for consumer awareness and the rising dominance of the 6-second ad unit, which requires a lot of visual punch in a highly compacted time slot.

Television spots, along with accompanying outdoor and radio are running in the Portland area.

CREDITS:

Client: Zappos.com

Senior Marketing Director: Joe Grusman
Marketing Director: Matt Snyder

Agency: barrettSF

Executive Creative Director: Jamie Barrett
Creative Director/Copywriter: Aryan Aminzadeh
Senior Art Director: Jen Hart
Head of Broadcast Production: Conor Duignan
Broadcast Producer: Charlotte Dugoni
Print Producer: Julie Mastalerz
Managing Director: Patrick Kelly
Account Director: Molly Warner
Account Supervisor: Lyndsey Sotwick

Production Company: More Media

Director: Ben Berman
CEO/Executive Producer: Stephen Buchanan
Executive Producer: Blaize Saunders
Head of Operations: Khamille Barbosa
Line Producer: Jason Richardson

Editorial: HutchCo Technologies
Editor: Jim Hutchins
Assistant Editor: Joaquin Machado
Animator/Flame Artist: Austin Hickman-Fain
Executive Producer: Jane Hutchins

Mix/Recording Studios: One Union and M Squared Productions

Sound Engineers: Eben Carr and Mark Pitchford

Color: MPC
Colorist: Kristopher Smale
Producer: Rebecca Boorsma



Product Photography: Zappos In-house

Art Director: Brad Swonetz
Photographer: Regina Sollechio
Stylist: Haley Schulte
Producer: Jina Byun