Sometimes the best advertising idea is also the dumbest idea in the room. And we mean that as a compliment. This week’s Reel Ad of the Week goes to Jersey Mike’s “Bus,” a gloriously ridiculous spot starring Danny DeVito and created by AOR Highdive Advertising.
Part of the brand’s ongoing campaign, the commercial takes one of Jersey Mike’s most familiar selling points – subs stacked high with meat and cheese – and pushes it into full-blown action-comedy territory.
It opens on DeVito sitting inside a Jersey Mike’s, almost dwarfed by this absurdly overstuffed sub in front of him. The sandwich gets its own glamour shots as workers pile on layers of meat, cheese, lettuce, and toppings, making the “more” proposition unmistakable before the story even gets moving.
Then we cut to DeVito with the sub on a city bus.
That’s where the spot suddenly shifts gears. The bus hangs precariously over the drop. DeVito, meanwhile, is still sitting there in the back with the giant sub. The commercial then cuts back to a clean product shot of the massive sub with the line: “Get a sub that’s made of more. Watch below:
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It’s exactly the kind of setup that works because nobody involved seems interested in pretending this is anything other than a joke.
Highdive leans into the ridiculousness instead of overexplaining it, and DeVito once again proves why he’s such a good fit for Jersey Mike’s. His delivery gives the brand permission to go bigger, stranger, and sillier without losing the product.
O Positive Films handled production, with Brian Billow directing. Cutters handled editorial, with John Dingfield on the edit. Peter Erazmus of Another Country mixed the audio.
The result is fast, visual, and wonderfully uncomplicated.
No manifesto.
No emotional journey.
No slow-motion tomatoes.
Just Danny DeVito, a runaway bus and a sandwich with apparently exceptional stopping power.
That’s enough for us.
CREDITS:
BRAND: Jersey Mike’s
AGENCY: Highdive Advertising
PRODUCTION COMPANY: O Positive Films
Director: Brian Billow
EDIT: Cutters
Editor: John Dingfield
AUDIO: Another Country
Audio Mixer: Peter Erazmus
Talent: Danny DeVito
