Guitar Heroes

Legitimately Impressive Credential

Nashville ad agency DBD has worked on campaigns for Atlas Van Lines and Spalding.

Insufferable Executive

Wayne Powell of Powell Creative has apparently decided that since he works in advertising, he can act like Roger Sterling and make lascivious comments about the ladies he works with -- for instance, he describes the agency's Account Manager, Krista Ashton, as a "very intelligent, very attractive individual," as if her attractiveness is at all relevant. Then we meet her and realize she's not much better, bragging about flirting with clients to land business. But the worst is Phil Mowrey of DBD, who is bringing his son David up in the company by using Mystery-style negging techniques on David and forcing him to earn Phil's love daily.

Self-Consciously Quirky Office

Both offices are generally okay, apart from the rainbow-coloured dog butt wall hooks at DBD.

Backpack Alert!

Tom Johnson, recently returned to work at DBD after taking a year's sabbatical to have a nervous breakdown or something, strides into the pitch with his materials on his back.

Look, I'm not saying everyone has to carry a 1981 briefcase, but: satchels. Messenger bags. A nice upcycled military-style crossbody. All of these give you a more professional look than does walking into a pitch meeting looking like as soon as it's over you're going to go spelunking.

What The Client Says It Wants

Henry Juszkiewicz, CEO (among other titles) of Gibson Brands, wants to introduce the company to a wider and potentially younger audience of potential consumers. Most importantly, he wants to let the world know that Gibson doesn't just make guitars: it's a music/sound/lifestyle brand, and to communicate this message, he'd like a campaign that's "edgy, and cool -- and maybe even funny." Henry concludes by saying that he's worked with other ad agencies before, but never for very long, and makes it clear that he's only looking for a professional relationship with whichever agency gets the account: "Do not take me out to dinner, lunch, or a football game. I am interested in only one thing, and that is in the welfare of our company, and the mission that I've laid out." That's two things, but okay, Henry, way to break the hearts of every ad executive in the conference room who thought you all might actually become friends!

Cringily Unearned Moment Of Self-Congratulation

After getting the creative brief from Gibson on a Friday and then taking the weekend off, the Powell Creative team regroups on Monday to go over some ideas, including this one from VP/Creative Director Scott Spencer, who humblebraggingly prefaces it by saying he came up with it in the very early hours of the morning when his sick son woke him up: what if it's a close-up photo of an earhole, except the earhole is in the shape of a musical instrument? Like one is a guitar, and maybe one is a piano, right...? The first cringemaking thing about this is that the show's editors make sure we see the slogan Scott's written down to go with this idea.

Well, I guess that is a "creative" spelling of the word "to." Anyway, Wayne and Sheri Young (Account Services Director) think it's so great that Scott goes off to mock it up, and when Henry decides to pop by the next day, it's pretty much all they have to show him, and it's kind of gross.

"I really don't like this. I mean, that's a 1 out of 10." - Henry.

The...Uh, Pitch

DBD goes first, and shows the video spot they came up with based on Katie Peninger's idea about showing people rocking out to music in various settings without actually hearing the music; it's just set to a beat that runs under all the different vignettes. It kind of looks like Henry hates it. Tom -- who, remember, is making this his first pitch after his year of solitude and reflection -- says the reason there's no actual music in the ad is that they like that Gibson doesn't give primacy to any particular music genre. Henry announces that it's "too subtle." So then David, who's begged his way into the meeting, jumps in to explain that what the video spot is aiming for is capturing the emotion of music as delivered by Gibson products, and that while that is subtle, they also have some print ads that would grab his attention as A Young Person if he were to see them in gaming magazines or car magazines or in environmental ads.

WELL THAT'S HORRIBLE. But Henry can't deny that the image is arresting. "It's that shock value that the younger cultures really respond to," says David. "The younger cultures"? That's not a thing. Whatever: Henry seems pleased.

Powell Creative's tagline is "Play Life Through Gibson," which is terrible. "Hear Life Through Gibson," maybe? Or "Play Life With Gibson"? "Play Life Through Gibson" is just four unconnected words. And then Sheri undermines even that by stumbling through her spiel --about how Powell Creative has "the capability" to deliver Gibson's rebrand message with a "totally digitally driven" campaign -- by saying, "Life played through Gibson is simply better." Even THAT -- not so great! -- is an improvement over the actual line. And that's it. Way to pull out all the stops, Powell! Henry says that what they've presented is better than the "no message" Powell had to show him when he came to the office, but he has no poker face and it's pretty clear how this is going to end.

The Winner

Apparently largely on the basis of stats it offered as to how many consumers its proposed campaign would reach that we didn't actually see on camera: it's DBD! Phil is so happy that he decides to stop withholding his love from his son long enough to give David a hug. Sucks to be you, Powell Creative: next time maybe don't take the weekend off.