CP+B Gets Hungry for Mustard

Ever wondered where the cars went after the classic Grey Poupon ad finished? It turns out the creative team at Crispin Porter + Bogusky did and the result is a new extended take on the car chase which first aired 32 years ago.

Grey Poupon is bringing back the iconic Pardon Me campaign to emphasise how timeless the ‘refined’ mustard’s taste and quality is. Created by agency CP+B and directed by Hungry Man’s Bryan Buckley, the new spot which is made to look like lost footage, picks up right where the old one ended with the two gentlemen who star carrying on their exchange to finally conclude the episode.

This week, the agency released a teaser spot (above) for the extended version, which will be available to view online at GreyPoupon.com following its premiere during the Oscars this Sunday (24 February).

Rob Reilly, worldwide chief creative officer, CP+B says of the campaign: “KRAFT has proven over the last few years that they are truly committed to giving their iconic brands the best marketing possible. We’ve personally had some success with KRAFT Mac n’ Cheese and JELL-O, so when they approached us with the opportunity to work on a brand like Grey Poupon, we jumped at the chance.”

Reilly says the addition to Pardon Me was possible only after they launched the new Spread Good Taste tagline on Facebook which was the first brand to remove fans and deny access depending on the good taste they displayed on their profile highlighted with regards to their personal interests. Once the campaign picked up speed they agreed it was time to build on the original spot.

“It was the Grey Poupon client who challenged the agency for a bold TV spot. Jason Gaboriau, the ECD and writer on the spot, thought it would be fun to show what happened after the original spot ended,” continues Reilly.

Once filming began they realised a 30-second version wasn’t going to be enough to fulfil the story from 1981. Reilly adds: “luckily the Oscars are all about movies, and movies are all promoted by trailers. Not the newest idea, but it really just made sense for the situation we were in to run a trailer on Oscar night driving people to the full film online.”

“Working with such a classic ad had its challenges. When we looked for the commercial online, the film quality was very poor. So when we were shooting the ‘lost footage’, we had to painstakingly degrade the film so you wouldn’t question what era it was from. Of course, we added some special effects and corks flying at you, so we didn’t hold ourselves too closely to the original when it came to trying to make it as entertaining as possible,” concludes Reilly.

The extended version of the video online (encompassing the full car chase, flying champagne corks and caviar car slicks) will have clickable Haute Spots where viewers can access hidden spots within the video to reveal and win props featured in the film, including caviar, champagne flutes and tokens made from the luxury cars. Society of Good Taste Facebook members will also be treated to an exclusive screening of the new spot before its premiere on Sunday.