Swiss Chalet Rudolph, You Creep Me Out
I don’t write this post as a marketer (or UnMarketer).
I don’t own an ad agency and have no idea about the process, the struggle and constraints there are in putting together a national ad campaign.
But I am a customer and have been dining at Swiss Chalet for 30ish years. (For those that don’t know Swiss Chalet it’s a Canadian chain of yummy chicken places, where you typically take old folks for their birthday, holidays etc.. and by old folks, I now include me.)
I recently saw the “Rudolph Swiss Chalet” commercial that turned me off so much from the place that I’ve dined at countless times it actually turns me off the brand entirely (even though I’m hooked on their quarter-chicken dinner, fries and chalet sauce)
Just watch the commercial:
I don’t really know what to say.
Ok, that’s a lie, here’s what I have to say:
- This is the most awkward exchange between two actors I have ever witnessed in a commercial of this exposure (meaning done by a pro ad firm and client)
- The daughter doesn’t remember their “special place”? Sweet, sweet lord of castle greyskull. Was it repressed?
- This is a Canadian commercial, and the dad sounds like he’s from Jersey
- Where the hell has he been? The vibe of the commercial is daddy has been away for a very long time. It brings me thoughts of a 10-15 year stretch, I assume in Rikers, or that area (again, the accent) Thanks to commenter Jay below who informed me that you would never do a 10-15 at Rikers. I’m not asking Jay how he knows.
- I don’t even have the words to describe the looks on both of their faces during the table exchange. It almost makes me feel Chris Hansen is going to bust in at any moment with the line “Why don’t you have a seat over there?”
I understand what they are “trying” to get across. I know what it’s like to not be with your kid, being in that position both as a father and as a son, so I’m pretty much the market they are trying to emotional touch with it. And it freaks the hell out of me. Swiss Chalet didn’t need to stoop to this level to get the hype for their festive meal, usually the Toblerone or Lindor chocolates is enough to get me to come in, and you get to dip your fingers in lemon water at the end! It sells itself!
Who do I blame for this? The ad agency? Swiss Chalet? The actors union? The writers? All of the above? Can’t we make a better one?
Help me my fine readers. Tell me I’m not the only one who can see this.
And if you’re going to say “Well it has gotten you to talk about it!! It worked! ALL PUBLICITY IS GOOD PUBLICITY!” then you may as well sit back down at the back of the short bus. In this day and age, bad PR cannot be spun and capped like the old days, and everyone’s voice gets heard.
(Special thanks to SmartCanucks who had the commercial in their post that allowed me to find it when searching 3 seconds after seeing it air on tv)
In a similar vein, this commercial creeps me out even more:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRr2pgy2F5s
Especially since studies have shown that we pay 12% more for Plavix now, so as a US taxpayer I'm paying for the ad that creeps me out.
I think we should stipulate that all good advertising should avoid ambiguity in relationships between fathers and daughters.
I think the restraining order the mother took out on the father for some unspeakable horror expired, and before she could get another, he staked out their home and waited for the daughter to leave for her part-time job. That's why she's so creeped out. She's praying that the police will arrive soon and rescue her… Happy Holidays!
I actually see something totally different in this commercial. It touched me the first time I saw it. I thought what they were going for was a reunion between a father and daughter after quite some time. Like they hadn't spoken to each other for a long while and that's why there was an awkwardness between them. I can agree that there were a couple points where he didn't nail the line, but i think that's because he was being directed to be uncomfortable.
The story I see is between a father trying to redeem himself and a daughter who's been waiting for his call. I actually really liked it.
I missed the creepy the first time through. This is not as thorough a hack piece as you say. Unfortunately, the very last reaction given by the girl could make you see this as a very unfortunate beginning of a very unfortunate encounter-yet-to-come. Why? Because her smile is just a little too forced. This could be natural, given the forced separation between a divorced dad and his daughter, but given the context of the rest of the commercial, and only 30 seconds to work, it smacks of something almost sinister. Too bad, because until then, they were doing OK.
They were trying for “deeply emotional” where they should have played it “excited to see each other.” Some boss at Swiss Chalet declared that the ad department would let their nephew the intern write and direct the next commercial!
It was corny, yes, but the sentimental nature will make me remember Swiss Chalet.
this has been creeping out Rob and I since we first saw it. I'm of the opinion that “daddy” went out for a “pack of smokes” about 15 years ago and that was the last anyone ever saw of him.
while watching this I was afraid it would end in father daughter kissing! this is awful!!
My 20 year old son and I had a conversation about this the other day and were very bothered by it. It certainly is creepy. We were trying to determine what the story line could actually be. Why was Dad out of her life for so long and why did he as it appears to suddenly come back? Why does the daughter not remember something as special as their favorite place and the ketchup on the nose is very strange bit could have maybe worked if the whole senerio was relayed better. Anyway being Canadians we both have truly enjoyed going to Swiss Chalet but this commmerical has certainly changed that!!
Scott,
I nearly choked when I read #2 – LMAO. The whole commercial makes me feel creepy. When it comes on I feel the need to change the channel so the dogs won't see it – like it should be rated PG or something. I agree – there is nothing in this commercial that makes me want to rush to my neighbourhood SC .. and I too am totally hooked on the quarter chicken. I say admit your mistake and stick to the Toblerone commercials.
…so I say to myself, self: perhaps Scott is talking about a different commercial then the odd one I saw on T.V. a few weeks ago, but no, its the same creepy one. Now I have been creeped out and perplexed not once but twice! Ugh – 60 seconds of my life wasted! I get where they are going but they took the awkward train. Now, the only thing we can do is look away.
Having worked on college campuses for most of my life, I can tell you: 1. This girl is old enough to be away from home for her first year of college, 2. She is still young enough to feel uncomfortable about possibly being seen with (and embarrassed by) her parents, and 3. The first four or five months a kid is away at college feels like an eternity to a parent. Sometimes the kid feels homesick, too, but they try not to show it.
Now, it's a fact it's just Dad in the commercial and Mom is nowhere in sight. So they're divorced, that's common enough.
I see a dad picking up his daughter at her dorm and taking her out for a holiday lunch. Her first Christmas away from home. They're both awkward because kids and parents are awkward when things get sappy.
Having said all that, I agree that the commercial fails simply because it did not communicate effectively what was going on, because there would not be this huge discussion happening here right now–most especially people would not be feeling universally “creepy” about it–had the creators of the commercial done their job. That job is, of course, to communicate an idea clearly to a large number of people in a way that makes them want to buy a product.
But incest? Jail time? That's everybody's first thoughts? I guess now I know what's in most people's heads. And That is Creepy.
Is't not only for lonely people
check this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmOQkvYlyD0
You nailed it. It is one of the creepiest things on TV. I e-mailed Swiss Chalet to tell them how “unpleasant” the ad is and received a form reply saying they have handed my comment on to the “advertising dept”, which – if this ad is their doing – consists of the janitor and a boneless chicken breast.
I am so glad that it isn't just me who gets weird vibes from that commercial. Right from the moment they leave her door she looks afraid.
I love your post. I agree -this commercial is creepy.
The funnier thing?
I've seen it on TV about 4 times, and I've never seen the end. I thought it was so crummy, that I tuned out every time. I didn't even realize that there was a rudolph exchange. Most likely I just pressed 'fast forward' on the pvr.
Confusing? Check. Creepy. Check. But hey, you guys don’t know why Dad was away so long. I’m betting he went out to the convenience store one night for smokes, interrupted a robbery in progress, got pistol-whipped and locked in the beer cooler and when he woke up the next morning he had amnesia. (Hey, it happens!) nnAlone and confused, he spent the next ten years working as a barker in a traveling carnival, until one day the carnival bus went through Sherwood Park, Alberta. Upon seeing the Swiss Chalet there, he suddenly flashed back to his little daughter and the lovely family time they’d spent at Swiss Chalet painting their faces with cranberry sauce. That’s *obviously* what happened. This ad agency is genius and I can’t believe you peeps can’t see that.
Confusing? Check. Creepy. Check. But hey, you guys don't know why Dad was away so long. I'm betting he went out to the convenience store one night for smokes, interrupted a robbery in progress, got pistol-whipped and locked in the beer cooler and when he woke up the next morning he had amnesia. (Hey, it happens!)
Alone and confused, he spent the next ten years working as a barker in a traveling carnival, until one day the carnival bus went through Sherwood Park, Alberta. Upon seeing the Swiss Chalet there, he suddenly flashed back to his little daughter and the lovely family time they'd spent at Swiss Chalet painting their faces with cranberry sauce. That's *obviously* what happened. This ad agency is genius and I can't believe you peeps can't see that.
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