Ricky Gervais
Here’s a new Audi ad featuring Ricky Gervais:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGITKd1cFDQ
I wonder why he did that. I mean, he doesn’t need the money, so if he was going to do something like this I’d have thought he’d want to make sure it was, well, not shit.
Unfortunately this is a bit not-not-shit. It’s an old idea, poorly crafted, that ends up in a generic empowerment message. Mr. Gervais’s involvement seems puzzling to me.
While I’m here I’ll just mention that Ricky did a Pizza Hut VO for me back in the early days of The Office. He was lovely, and obviously far more discerning back then 😉
UPDATE: and there’s more (alas, it’s not better)…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wt1QJFZezS4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx1YzGpQeVk
(Thanks for nothing, J.)
He’s touring at the moment isn’t he? Maybe just well timed publicity. That last bit is him doing Brent not Gervais isn’t it?
Also I agree that the ad is a bit creatively redundant – I’m also willing to bet it’s just that particular flavour of shit that real people fucking love though.
“Whatever you do, stay uncompromised”
Oh the irony.
I think he’s doing the publicity circuit for The Muppets at the moment.
Whatever you do, go buy this car. Please? Pretty please? Like, we can’t really give you a proper reason, other than “if you’ve made it, you drive an Audi”. Not a Bentley or Mercedes or any other luxury car brand. Because we’re Audi. And we got mothereffing Ricky Gervais in our ad! Who else can say that? If he’s in our car, that must mean it’s good. And the shoot was fun, having Ricky tell jokes and all. He even did a little Brent adlib in one of the takes, which we used. Brilliant, innit?
Oh and btw, this is in complete contrast to what they’ve done before: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIQ-283wKgg
No matter how rich you are, if someone offers you a *million quid for delivering 2 lines of dialogue, you take it.
*or whatever his fee was.
This is rubbish.
Is it true that he doesn’t have a driving licence? Could be a rumour. Not that that is it’s biggest failing.
It’s crap but it’s better than that one with the boxers and the umpire that got did the other day.
I *think* this is for US-only (telly) consumption, where Mr Gervais is “appreciated” somewhat differently. That colours it a bit, I think. A slightly different shade of poo brown.
Plus, it’s not BBH who did this.
I think it must be the US agency.
Apparently it was £2 million:
https://twitter.com/rickygervais/status/446276030660374528
^^^
A tweet which he promptly deleted…
two million? can’t blame him.