Ben Moore Prank Puts Scare in Painters
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013
Times must be harder for commercial painters than we realized.
Why else would several of them sign on for a midnight gig at an abandoned hotel, where zombies roam and—seriously—the paint job seems to be a minor issue?
But show up they did and, for their bravery, the painters became stars in a new prank video by Benjamin Moore to promote its flagship commercial product.
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| Images: Benjamin Moore | |
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Benjamin Moore decided to scare the latex out of a few local painters to promote its professional-grade Ultra Spec 500. |
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"We hired real contractors for a job they coudn't finish fast enough," says the narrator of The Scariest Job in the World, a two-and-a-half-minute video by the New Jersey-based paint company.
'I Don't Fool with No Ghosts'
The video, created by The Martin Agency, aims to promotes Ultra Spec 500 as "scary fast," according to Benjamin Moore.
Shot at night in an actual old hotel, the video has the look and feel of a horror movie, with a cadaverous caretaker greeting each of the three painters at the door.
"Years ago, people with mental diseases were kept here for a period of time," he tells one.
Then, each is left to his task, with a wall to paint by a lone spotlight in a very dark room. From there, mysterious sounds erupt and scary visitors—well, why spoil it?
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"Get it right the first time, and never look back," the campaign for Ultra Spec 500 says. |
Suffice it to the say that the painters are quickly and clearly unnerved. Some of their remarks are actually bleeped out, and one fumes, "I don't fool with no ghosts."
A Scary Job
"On a given day, a painter is probably not dealing with ghosts," Benjamin Moore CMO David Melançon told Ad Week in something of an understatement.
"But he might be dealing with a cranky client. He might be dealing with kids running around in the back room. He might be dealing with a lot of issues that, for him, make it a scary job.
"This just takes that idea one step further."
Ad Week said the contractors were chosen by their bosses. The ad agency made sure none had heart conditions, and a medic was kept on the set just in case, the magazine said.
With the video release is a sweepstakes, with a grand prize of 500 gallons of Ultra Spec 500. Product specs and contest details are available at www.scarygoodjob.com.
Undead painters are not eligible to win.
Tagged categories: Advertising; Benjamin Moore; Coatings Technology; Hotels
