The advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi won a Cannes Bronze Lion this week for this 60-second J.C. Penny spot. So very clever, viewers concluded! The ad, which features a teen boy and girl timing themselves as they get dressed and undressed, then lying to the girl's parents about what they planned on doing in the basement, might, to some, encourage teen sex. Racy! Which is why, in fact, J.C. Penny never approved the ad — and expected it to die on the cutting room floor. It didn't, and S&S submitted it to Cannes. Now, execs at the retailer are, supposedly, furious over the spot and the attention its getting, which is the reaction any responsible mega-corp would need to have. Except if said execs are actually any good at their job, they're going to put their feet on their desks and congratulate themselves over the endless brand impressions they received from all the free publicity and their ability to come across as hip to the teen market they so desperately court, all while maintaining deniability.
Editorial Director
J.C. Penney is spelled wrong.
Funny why everyone is blaming JC Penney or Epoch films for being the culprit when Saatchi is the agency that benefits most by winning the award ; P
It's equally funny that Saatchi has to scam ads like this when agencies like Crispin does cut through breakout viral and integrated work for big names and paying clients.
I question the relevance of agencies like Saatchi, which can only do creative work by bypassing the client. This spot is done by Saatchi as no production agency will presume to be a client's ad agency by doing this to win awards.
I don't really think this ad is really any good in that it does not tie with the tagline and fails to connect with the key audience for JC Penny i.e. parents.
So what if it has gone viral? Interesting viral videos are a dime a dozen these days with limited lifespan. And most do not build brands or connect people to the brand in a meaningful manner.