UCB digital team Frohnson & Frohnson on their love/hate relationship with advertising
We talked to UCB digital team Frohnson & Frohnson about their new series #targetdemo, how companies beef it on social media, and their favorite cracked-out commercials from childhood.
Your series #targetdemo is a collection of sketches about advertising, social media, and consumerism. But it also has a meta-story that ties them together in a subtle and wonderful way. Can you talk about the genesis of the Frohnson brothers and who they are in your world?
Timothy Dunn: We had lots of conversations in the beginning about who we were and what we wanted to say. Ultimately, we kept landing on the idea of a big media conglomerate that was in charge of all of advertising and marketing, and we named that company "Frohnson and Frohnson." The two Frohnson brothers kinda came out of the thought that most companies that are making ads and commercials and product placement-y stuff really believe that they're doing great work! When you're inside the machine, you drink the kool-aid, you win insider-y awards that other insider-y companies give to each other, you really start to believe the hype! And they become more and more out of touch with what "real people" really want, despite all of their research and focus groups. The Frohnson brothers are the personification of that.
One of #targetdemo's episodes takes on the desperation of businesses to get people to tweet their hashtags and connect on social media, to the point where their lives depend on it. What are the most desperate ploys for social media attention you've seen?
Timothy Dunn: I love social media fails. Like, I loved/hated the tweet after the mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado, where some dumb boutique tweeted something like "wow #Aurora is trending- probably bc of our Kim Kardashian #Aurora dress! On sale now! ;)" I'd pay good money to see the tweeter's face when he/she realized what exactly was going on and how badly they'd eff'd up.
Michelle Francesca Thomas: I think most people probably wouldn’t see this as a “desperate ploy” because it’s been around for so long but in reality every network voting competition show (The Voice, So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing With The Stars, etc), is a social media ploy for you to engage with the network. Voting is not just via a regular phone call, there are also FB pages and FOX uses their FOX NOW App with a whole repetitive page of instructions to help you engage. People would probably watch the show anyway but because of the interactive voting, it almost assures that you will watch because now you’re invested.
We heard that an actual wedding hashtag designer shared your video. Did you know that was a real thing?
Timothy Dunn: Ew! No! But that's really hilarious, actually.
Michelle Ciotta: The world is a strange, mysterious place. Good for him! I'm glad our #content is getting to the people who would appreciate it the most.
As comedians and filmmakers, what have your experiences been with making "sponsored content"? Have you found ways of working that reduce the ickiness of shilling for corporations? Or is it all about the paycheck?
Kristen Bartlett: I feel absolutely no ickiness about writing branded content, because I think making something that you like that a client also likes can be a fun challenge. My favorite example of writing branded content came in a very organic way. I wrote a humor essay for The Impersonals that was a snack food review of Wise Cheez Doodles from the point-of-view of a person going through a break up. Wise Foods read it, liked it, and then paid me to produce a video version, and I was able to hire friends (Leslie Meisel and Ben Weinstein). They also sent me so many Cheez Doodles and were incredibly cool and lovely the whole time. There are definitely companies that recognize comedy and trust writers to produce good work.
Timothy Dunn: I have no beef with sponsored content, as long as people know it's sponsored content! I hosted a music video show last year, and part of the gig was doing little integrated marketing, "sponsored" pops. Stuff like "I'm heading to Bonnaroo next week, and if you're going, too, make sure to pack some snacks! Like HOT POCKETS SNACK BITES!" I legit thought they were hilarious! And I also understand that advertising dollars are what keep most of us employed. TV ratings are based on advertising dollars! But it's the sneaky stuff that makes me feel icky- like when it came out what MTV was using product placement on The Real World, that's why they were always drinking Nantucket Nectars and eating Vlassic Pickles in every scene or whatever. That's kinda sneaky and gross to me.
Michelle Ciotta: I'm not mad about it. I agree with Kristen that it's an interesting challenge. I think the "ickiness" comes more from when you allow the brand to dictate your #content and it doesn't feel true to your voice.
What's your favorite commercial from growing up?
Timothy Dunn: I somehow still get this song stuck in my head 20 years later. And I USE DRUGS EVERY DAY.
Kristen Bartlett: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JxhTnWrKYs
Michelle Francesca Thomas: (I loved the McGruff Commercial and I feel like it is possible that girl was on drugs in the video. Just sayin’) I used to listen to the radio growing up, so I’m more partial to jingles. This one crossed over to TV because they clearly had the beaucoupbucks. I also actually loved this commercial right before we watched TMNT. I think it was the first time I remember seeing a commercial (that wasn’t related to film) in the previews before a movie.
Michelle Ciotta: The commercial I have a love/hate relationship with is the one for local transmission shop, Trannyman Transmissions. It was the inspiration for our Remember that Commercial? sketch. I wish I had a link. I really, really do. What good are you, internet??
Hudson Meredith: Jim Adler, The Texas Hammer because he's metal AF.
If each member of Frohnson & Frohnson were a brand, what would they be?
Timothy Dunn: Is "pizza" a brand?
Kristen Bartlett: Is this like a real brand or a fictional brand? Either way, I think I'm "Country Baby," which was the brand of baby food that Diane Keaton created in the 1987 Nancy Meyers movie Baby Boom.
Michelle Francesca Thomas: My brand would be a combo of food and music, like Better Homes and Gardens and Guns & Roses.
Mehdi Barakchian: Whichever brand wears too much cologne, sunglasses even when it's cloudy, and goes through 3 completely different outfits before leaving the house. Idk, I guess I'm actually just very succinctly selling the Persian brand.
Michelle Ciotta: I'd like to think I am Denny's - kind of old fashioned but not afraid to have a Hobbit-inspired menu and a killer Twitter account.
Hudson Meredith: Definitely UTZ.
Have you received a cease and desist from Swiffer yet?
Timothy Dunn: Fingers crossed!
Michelle Ciotta: I welcome any replacement pads they want to send us because I could always use a refill.
Can you please make Beeps a real app?
Timothy Dunn: WE'RE RIGHT ON TOP OF THAT, ROSE!
Frohnson & Frohnson is David Sidorov, Hudson Meredith, Johnathan Fernandez, Mehdi Barakchian, Michelle Ciotta, Michelle Francesca Thomas, Moujan Zolfaghari, Kristen Bartlett, Timothy Dunn and Trevor Williams.
