In honor of the opening week of Major League Baseball, I’d like to give a Creative High Five to the Martin Agency for its Benjamin Moore “Monster Everywhere” campaign. I wondered how this ad agency could ever top the commercial they came out with last year. I never got sick of it. Not even when I could see the pitchers’ breath in those final fall games.
Last year, they introduced to Red Sox fans, like myself, The Fenway Collection of paints – Green Monster green (named after Fenway’s iconic outfield wall), Boston Red, Boston Blue, and Foul Pole Yellow with a brilliant commercial.
How the Martin Agency Hit It Out of the Park with this Ad.
They didn’t just create the ad. They actually came up with the idea for the paints and helped Benjamin Moore with the product development.
They showed people and a lazy dog just being themselves. No over overacting.
They juxtaposed that with everyday objects painted in these unexpected colors: A lazy dog on a couch in a living room, a fire hydrant, a TV satellite dish, a barbershop, the side of a house, a garage door, and kids’ jungle gym painted like the Green Monster.
They paired it with pitch perfect, actually Fever Pitch perfect music – “Love that Dirty Water” by the Standells, which is played at every Red Sox game. Lyrics “Ah, it’s all about my town. Down by the river. Down by the banks of the River Charles.”
They show us an actual Red Sox groundskeeper painting the Green Monster with the simple line, “We paint the monster green. Now you can, too.”
They paid it all off with a brilliant call to action. Visit MonsterEverywhere.com to find a store nearest you.
What I liked about this commercial is that it didn’t show fans acting crazy. (Though you should see us at a game.) Nope, they were all very understated, carrying on as usual as if it were only natural to paint your rooms and the outside of your house like Fenway Park. And if you’re a true fan, you’ll think of a way to do something cool with this paint, too.
Indeed, they did. You see the audience was invited to do just that when this ad agency went full circle by creating a social media campaign out of it, too with the hashtag #monstereverywhere. Go on Twitter and you’ll see some amazing results of fans’ efforts. What a great way to connect your audience with the brand. Well done.
And Then They Hit a Grand Slam with this Follow-up Ad.
So how could the Martin Agency and Benjamin Moore do anything more to please the New England target market with their advertising? Annoy Yankees fans. They painted a New York City block like the Green Monster, threw in some hidden cameras and an audio speaker so the wall could talk to passersby and they got Yankees and Red Sox fans acting like true fans. Perhaps, they are real actors. Honestly, it’s hard to tell, but this ad is funny as hell. Especially, the reference to 2004 – the year “the curse was broken.” This ad is authentic, engaging and a riot to watch.
That’s why I’m giving the Martin Agency and Benjamin Moore a Creative High Five. I am not affiliated with either company. Though I’m a huge fan of their work and the Red Sox. You may learn more about me and my work by perusing the rest of my site. Tell me what you think. Have you ever been involved in a clients’ product development, too? Have you seen other products leverage sports fan involvement on such a high level? If you like this post, please share it with your followers with one of the buttons at the top of this post. It would be greatly appreciated.