I’m not into the word “zany,” but these two commercials for Mack Weldon, an innovative modern menswear company, fit the bill. They’re wacky, too.
Best of all, they achieve this offbeat state of zwackitude in a smart and charming way.
In the spirt of the 13-year-old men’s clothing line touted as "Comfortable anywhere," the brand, along with agency OK Friend, figured out how to put on a show.
Communicating wordlessly, the spots use big, dumb, disarmingly original dance and hand moves to convey the need to laugh and loosen up.
That message couldn’t have broken at a better time.
I think we all need a release, and some relief.
To that end, I hadn’t yet realized that the sound of orchestral whistling might make for a kinder, comfier world.
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In the first commercial, our hero, sporting easy Mack Weldon separates, is a weirdo who knows how to, as the famous movie line goes, put his lips together and blow.
Called “Whistle,” that haunting but jaunty sound saturates the commercial and works as an evocative and yet slightly eerie sonic connector.
Over that unforgettable musical bed, the spot riffs on a stiff, old-school dinner party, with stiff, old-school guests wearing stiff, old-school clothing. The gray-haired gentleman at the head of the table might be wearing an ascot. The older professional woman is swathed in cashmere and pearls. The word from the last century to describe it is “uptight.”
But meanwhile, we’re up for wherever the formal setting takes us, because the whistling is transporting.
Equally compelling is the young white dude who stands up and suddenly performs a manic modern dance. There’s something in the way he moves. It’s wild and unexpected. Did someone say unhinged?
As he circles the table, he sidles up to the seated guests, making fierce eye contact along with his primarily comic moves, including a few possibly erotic lunges.
He’s lighter than air, and even gets in a modest moon walk, while the guests sit, stone-faced. They are not amused.
He steps back only to use his Fred Astaire grace to blow the candle on a sideboard back to life.
It’s like meeting the most hilarious person in the room at a party and then getting to watch him dance.
The second spot takes place in an attractive, mid-century-styled office. Instead of using his words, however, at a meeting, the Mack Weldon-clad office holder explains his point of view to the guest via excruciatingly unreadable hand movements.
It’s not as funny as “Whistle” because that one gives us an elevated concerto, while this one devolves into an almost-mime. Still, it’s out there and witty.
These stylin’ spots convey a spirit that is thoroughly human, flawed and original: the anti-AI.
They exude the freedom to navigate absurdity and make it your own.
And at this point in world stress, that makes sense.
Plus, I’ve been told in confidence that the boxer briefs fit really well.