Where in the world is Matt Lauer? He's under the sink. - Mark Simon, Campbell Ewald-Guest Blogger for the Ad Council

As an ad agency creative director I39ve had the fortune to work on a number of amazing brands and large national campaigns However sometimes the best assignments are the ones that reward you with something other than money I39m speaking of course about probono workDoing probono work is good for the soul It39s a reflection of your company39s values and what you stand forIt can also give you a chance to torture Matt LauerSince 1996 we39ve been doing probono work for the Ad Council39s Fatherhood campaign The campaign message has been simple Take time to be a Dad today It doesn39t take a lot Just spend time with your kids Children with involved fathers do better in school have higher selfesteem and are less likely to engage in highrisk behaviorsTo date the campaign has generated over 667 million in donated media won numerous creative awards and made fans across the country including the President of the United States who in 2009 appeared in one of our commercialsLast October the Ad Council and The Today Show approached us with an opportunity to create a commercial with host Matt Lauer Turns out Matt was also a big fan of the campaignOver a span of two weeks we generated at least 40 different ideas from Matt recreating the Red Bull space jump quottoo dangerousquot to Matt appearing on air after his kids accidently drew on his face with permanent marker quottoo permanentquot One of my favorites had Matt interviewing former President Clinton when Matt39s daughter calls and needs help with her homework She wants to know the capital of Kyrgyzstan Matt doesn39t know President Clinton doesn39t know They decide to call Hillary The answer of course is BishkekThe winning idea was based on one of the very first games we play with our kids HideandSeek The idea called for Matt to demonstrate his hiding ability in a series of scenes that go from one extreme to anotherWe shot the commercial in a beautiful old home in Montclair NJ It was perfect for what we needed Lots of rooms Lots of places to hideWe crammed Matt underneath a sinkBuried him under a load of laundrySandwiched him between sofa cushionsWedged his head between stuffed animalsSqueezed him behind a paintingCovered him behind a curtainStuck him inside a chimneyAnd finally we submersed him underwater Rambostyle The only difference being he was in a tub filled with bubble bath and he was wearing a mask and snorkel Still you have to give the guy credit I don39t know how he is at seeking but the man can hide like a bossThe only thing he refused to do was hide underneath a large area rug In all honesty I wouldn39t have gotten under that thing either Now I39ve got about 25 pounds on Matt but he39s wiry and he gave me a look that said quotIf you try and put me under that rug we39re going to tanglequot I guarantee you the next time NBC does quotWhere In The World Is Matt Lauerquot he won39t be under a rugIn the end we ended up with a great commercial for a great cause that uses a popular spokesman to communicate a very important messageThanks MattSorry for that rug thingMark SimonMark is among the industry39s most celebrated creative talents Mark joined CE in 2000 and has helped attract many of our clients and continues to build their brands and businesses He has over 20 years of experience in developing effective communications across all channels His efforts have gained recognition at Cannes Clio The One Show Communication Arts and the London International Awards Mark39s other contributions include developing work for HAVEN a domestic violence shelter in Pontiac Mich and for Fatherhood Involvement with the Ad Council He serves as a board member of Detroit Creative Directors Council and D Show Awards Council Previous agency experience includes FCB Bozell Worldwide Doner and Young ampamp Rubicam Previous clients include Chrysler Jeep Coleman Consumers Energy Detroit Red Wings LincolnMercury and Canadian TireRead all Ad Libbing39s MediaBizBloggers commentaries at Ad LibbingCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates MediaBizBloggerThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentaries

Click to Make Your 2025 Contribution to Support the MediaVillage Education Foundation

Where in the world is Matt Lauer? He's under the sink. - Mark Simon, Campbell Ewald-Guest Blogger for the Ad Council

Publish date

Channel

Archived in

The Ad Council, Huntsman Mental Health Foundation and Amazon Announce “The Mind Set” to Support Mental Health - Ad Council InSites

More Videos:

Click to Make Your 2025 Contribution to Support the MediaVillage Education Foundation

Where in the world is Matt Lauer? He's under the sink. - Mark Simon, Campbell Ewald-Guest Blogger for the Ad Council

Enjoying This Commentary? There's More to Love

The Ad Council, Huntsman Mental Health Foundation and Amazon Announce “The Mind Set” to Support Mental Health - Ad Council InSites

The payment was successful

Cookies