Boost Mobile wants you to feel safe.
The Sprint-owned mobile provider is out with a new spot that parodies the slit-your-throat thriller genre to peddle its "Shrinkage" plan—an option, the company claims, that will spare you any regularly scheduled terror your current, murderous phone statement may inflict upon you. Created by 180 Los Angeles, "Bill From Hell" sets a faux-ominous tone from the start, opening on a shadowy figure walking down a desolate street on a rainy night. Flaunting the stereotypical homicidal-maniac look—gaunt, with scraggly hair—he's oblivious to the downpour, and able to set a yapping dog whimpering with a withering stare. After breaking into an apartment building, he marches up the stairs and smashes his victim's front door into splinters in a state of rage. Then he tosses the cowering occupant a parcel. No machete. No boat hook. No blood-curdling scream. Just a fat package full of ulcer-inducing overage minutes.
"I'm so sick of fearing my monthly bills!" explains a thought bubble that pops up, credited as an actual tweet from @MRabin17. "We hear you," assures the voiceover, taking the opportunity to pitch you on the flat-rate monthly offering, which shrinks in cost with consecutive on-time payments. The spot is a well-executed personification of the commonplace anxiety caused by phone bills. Sure, the I Know What You Did Last Summer vibe is dated and cheesy, but the message is resonant enough. And as jarring as the inclusion of a tweet bubble in a TV spot feels, it gets the brand's point across.
So, switch to Boost, and next time someone tries to break down you door, at least you'll be sure it's not your mail that's out to kill you.
CREDITS
Client: Boost Mobile
Spot: "Bill From Hell"
Agency: 180 Los Angeles
Executive Creative Director: William Gelner
Creative Directors: Matt Elhardt, Gavin Lester
Copywriter: Dave Horton
Art Director: Matthew Woodhams-Roberts
Executive Producer, Managing Partner: Peter Cline
Senior Producer: Natasha Wellesley
Assistant Producer: Tina Diep
Group Account Director: Chad Bettor
Account Director: Jerico Cabaysa
Account Manager: Cassie Jackson
Planning Director: Martin Ramos
Production
Production Company: Imperial Woodpecker
Director: Simon McQuoid
Director of Photography: Dion Beebe
Senior Executive Producer: Doug Halbert
Producer: Adam Cramer
Production Designer: Robb Buono
Stylist: Gretchen Patch
Casting Company: Alyson Horn Casting
Casting Director: Alyson Horn
Shoot Location: Los Angeles
Shoot Dates: Jan. 22-23
Editorial
Editorial Company: Cut & Run
Editors: Steve Gandolfi, Isaac Chen
Executive Producer: Michelle Burke
Head of Broadcast: Christie Price
Completion, Special Effects
Colorist: Adam Scott
Transfer Facility: The Mill
Online, VFX: The Mill
VFX Supervisor: Phil Crowe
Flame Artist: Andy Bate
Executive Producer: Sue Troyan
VFX Producer: Tram Le
Recording, Mix
Recording Studio: Eleven Sound
Date: Jan. 31
Final Mix: Eleven Sound
Dates: Feb. 1-2
Mixer: Jeff Payne
Assisrtant Mixer: Ben Freer
Executive Producer: D.J. Fox-Engstrom
Music
Music Company Elias Arts
Composers: Christopher Kemp, Dave Wittman
Creative Director: David Gold
Executive Producer: Ann Haugen
Sound Design
Sound Design Company: Elias Arts
Lead Sound Designer: Jay Nierenberg
Executive Producer: Ann Haugen
Client
Director, Brand Marketing: Caralene Robinson
Senior Manager, Advertising: Peiti Feng
Advertising Manager: Arlin Morales
Creative Marketing Manager: Wally Fox
Senior Manager, Brand Marketing: Geraldine Morrison
Brand Marketing Manager: Marisa Schaeffer