Even experts need an expert sometimes

The client (for $500):

A pay-by-the-minute pioneer in the early days of the internet, this company now offers over-the-phone tech support and device repair insurance (the answer, properly phrased, also happens to be the primary brand challenge).

The ask:

Our task was to create a broadcast spot raising awareness about the pilot program while also rebranding AOL as a technology company firmly ensconced in the new millennium.

The solution:

The audience was primarily ages 65+, though the larger “awareness” message needed to work for pretty much anyone. One of the major complaints with competing services is the perception of being talked down to by a squad of “Geeks-with-attitude,” so we needed a messaging platform that positioned AOL as both knowledgeable and approachable.

I landed on the themeline, “even experts need an expert sometimes,” and, after some wheel spinning, we settled on a spokesperson that was familiar to the primary audience: Jeopardy! legend Ken Jennings.

The set

To add an intangible-but-noticeable sense of authenticity and “craft,” we physically built the set (like, we sawed everything in half and used forced perspective to make it look like a split screen).