Postmates’ Genre Breaking Ads

I love advertising when it acknowledges itself. That's why I was so delighted to work on this recent Postmates campaign, which takes the concept of the meta-ad even further, presenting images so enticing that they inspire cravings in the ads around them.

We began with genre ads, spoofing those for personal injury lawyers, luxury fragrances, and prize fights, among a few others. We shot as close to type as possible, and created a reaction “twist,” hence a seriously dangerous MMA fighter distracted by an adjacent kale salad.

It’s often true that the best comic performers play it straight, so we found talent that matched the genres best – these are real mixed-martial-arts boxers and the fragrance model typically appears in top-end fashion ads (okay, the injury lawyer is not actually an attorney).

Working with Mother LA was a blast: My point people Max Erdenberger, Mark Bielik, (Creative Directors) and Emma Starzacher (Art Producer) were thoughtful and well prepared. It was a complicated assignment, with many interlocking parts, but the thoroughness of the agency brought everything together beautifully.

The job brought the full range of my skills to the table. From organization (shooting six elaborate setups in one day), to technical acumen (creating distinct lighting for each genre), and directing talent (coaxing a performance that convincingly sells the genre AND the narrative flip).

This Postmates campaign is meta-adverting and uber-Chris Buck.

Top Image: Our “Fragrance” model (Isabel Li) can’t resist a tacos plate, on a Los Angeles bus. (On-site photos by Mark Abramson, food photography by Julia Stotz)

Second Image: Kale Salad is all he can think about! (MMA fighters: Charles Michaels, Tyler Prince Branch).

Third Image: Behind the scenes with our reality TV star (photo by Benjamin Travers), and MMA fighters (photo by Saman Assefi).

Bottom Image: She wants love, but she needs ramen. (Reality Romance TV model: Lily Daniels)