Not long ago Georgia Pacific, maker of Brawny paper towels hired the Fallon agency (who hired "Survivor's" John Feist) to produce a series of online "reality show" commercials called the "Brawny Academy".
The setup is eight guys get sent to the academy to learn how to be better husbands. They'll be taught the finer points of fine husbandry such as hatchet throwing, chopping wood, caring for small animals and romancing their women.
All this knowledge is gained in a rugged north woods setting, hosted and taught by the rugged (and all-too pretty) Brawny Man himself.
I've only seen one of the eight episodes so far.
It's hilarious.And it's really well done.
The spot plays like a genuine reality show. In fact, the product and logo placements are no more than you'd see on a real reality show.
The eight guys were either really sent by their wives/girlfriends to do this or they're very good actors. The look sound and act just like eight strangers thrown together to survive whatever the show's producers have planned for them.
As far as I know, Brawny/GP has not advertised this anywhere. It's all traveled through word of mouth, primarily through the 'net.
In terms of creating buzz, Fallon really nailed this one. It's getting a lot of traffic because it deserves to.
I like this because they've created something that's pure entertainment and yet, it serves their purpose of creating brand awareness. Unlike mainstream media ads, this is really funny and worth watching for the entertainment value.
After their production and hosting costs, they end up with a pretty cheap way to continue to pump up their brand equity.
I'd call this a win-win campaign. Kudos to Fallon and GP for putting it together.
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