Eric André and Dr. Umstick Take Big Game Flight for Drumstick
Which brand will take home the 2024 Super Clio for the best Super Bowl commercial? We'll find out on Feb. 12.
Make room, chips and dips, wings and pizza. Drumstick, the ice cream sundae cone treat, just filed a Big Game flight plan.
Actor and comedian Eric André and Drumstick's doll-sized spokesman Dr. Umstick star in the 100-year-old brand’s first Super Bowl ad—a continuation of its "Another Day, Another Drumstick" campaign.
"A Drumstick has everything you want from a snack—taste, texture and flavor variety. It's salty, sweet, chocolate-y, creamy… the list goes on. It can hold its own against any other snack," says marketing director Kerry Hopkins. "Since the Super Bowl is the ultimate snacking occasion, it's the perfect opportunity to reaffirm that message."
Created by Opinionated, the playful spot takes place on an plane that's cruising along at 36,000-feet when the flight attendant asks if there is a doctor onboard because one of the passengers—André, who, surprisingly, appears to be flying in coach!—isn't feeling so good.
Thankfully, there is a doctor—Dr. Umstick, who prescribes Drumsticks for everyone, noting that the cones offer "sweet, creamy relief." Though as the :30 concludes, it looks like André might need an actual doctor.
Drumstick was thrilled to land the creator and host of Adult Swim's wonderfully bizarre The Eric André Show for the spot. "Eric is undoubtedly known for his quirky personality, and we knew his humor would complement that of Dr. Umstick's," Hopkins says.
"He's likely an unexpected choice for an ice cream brand, but Drumstick isn't your typical ice cream brand," she adds. "Like Eric, we do things differently."
While this ad marks Dr. Umstick's Super Bowl debut, the suave character voiced by Brian Delaney has appeared in Drumstick ads for several years. "We came up with the doctor in 2021 when we pitched Drumstick. They weren't looking for a spokesperson specifically," says Opinionated copywriter Lauren Olson. "But they loved him and bought the Doc and concepts around him and the 'Another Day, Another Drumstick' tagline from our pitch."
The Super Bowl spot was directed by Super Bowl vet Jim Jenkins in an open airplane set on a soundstage that had to be kept cold so the product wouldn't melt.
Despite some shivering, "It was really special because it was a first for a lot of us—Drumstick's first Super Bowl, Opinionated's first Super Bowl, and our first Super Bowl as a creative team," says agency art director Nate Corrado.
In the days leading up to the game, Drumstick launched a bold #DrumstickMonday petition on Change.org calling for the day after the Super Bowl to be made a national holiday. Consumers can also enter a sweepstakes by commenting on a Drumstick Instagram post about what they would do on their ultimate day off. The winner will be awarded a free flight to their dream destination.
"Once we knew that they were going to be buying a spot in the Super Bowl, we said, 'Okay, how do we turn this into something that sort of transcends the day?'" says Craig Elimeliah, chief creative officer at /prompt, the agency behind the Super Bowl spot extensions.
"Drumstick Monday encapsulates our belief that enjoyment and spontaneity shouldn't just end with the Super Bowl’s conclusion. With the Change.org petition and the sweepstakes, we wanted to encourage active participation," Elimeliah says. "We wanted to prolong the exhilaration of the Super Bowl into the following Monday."
CLICK HERE to watch all of this year's Big Game commercials as they're released.
CREDITS
Client: Drumstick
Agency: Opinionated
Executive creative directors: Mark Fitzloff and Rob Palmer
President: Trish Adams
Art director: Nate Corrado
Copywriter: Lauren Olson
Senior producer: Cole Davenport
Strategic planning: Dave Daines
Account team: Marcelina Ward, Whitney Calvin, Michael Dalton
Production Company: O Positive
Director: Jim Jenkins
DP: Polly Morgan
Executive Producers: Ralph Laucella, Marc Grill, Ken Licata
Line Producer: Marc Grill
Editorial: The Den Edit
Editor: Matthew Hilbert
Producer: Jennifer Mersis
Color/Sound Design: Royal Muster
Colorist: Roslyn Di Soto
Online Artist: Tim Davie
Sound Artist: Morgan Johnson
Producer: Leslie Carthy
VFX Creative Lead: Tim Davies
Voiceover: Brian Delaney
VO Record/Mix Studio: Field Day Sound
Record Engineer, mixer and mix engineer: Morgan Johnson
