Lindsey Grace
WorkAboutMadeContact

Ads people would choose to watch.

I work out why people buy before deciding what to make, then write it, direct it and shoot it. One mind, from pitch deck to picture lock.

The workClick a line for the thinking
  • 01Imagine the saucibilities.Zaxby’s “Sauce Boss”
  • 02Zero sugar. Zero disappointment.**For most.Zevia “Deb”
  • 03Don’t let this happen to you.Taco Bell “Rest in Pizza”
  • 04Cheaper than takeout. Easier than deciding.Home Chef “Dinner, Without the Decisions”
  • 05Use the time you’re wasting.Duolingo “Dead Time”
  • 06Built with purpose. Worn with it.Rolex “Proof”
  • 07Fame fades. Icons don’t.Taco Bell “Legends Never Die”
  • 08Zero sugar. Zero difference.Zevia “Taste Test #64”
  • 09Keep the leg in.Purple “Leg Out”
  • 10Not a quieter motorcycle. A louder world.LiveWire “The Return”
  • 11He’ll tell you.Squatty Potty “Sparkle Sparkle”
  • 12You look like a pretzel guy.JetBlue “The Pantry”

“The temptation to entertain instead of selling is contagious.”David Ogilvy

Sixty years later, it’s a full-blown pandemic. But the good news is: so is the cure.

Lindsey Grace on set with a camera on her shoulder

I don’t start with ideas. I start with questions.

The answers narrow it down until the idea reveals itself.

What motivates me is the cat-and-mouse game with the person on the other side of the screen, rolling their eyes at another ad. I’m after the moment the work tickles them in the ribs, or compels them with a story worth more than the pain of their attention.

My brain works like a mini agency: strategy, audience research, concept and copy. Fifteen years in production means I can see the work from 10,000 feet.

The starter kit.

Nine questions I ask before a single idea.

01

What are we really selling?

Confidence? Legacy? Belonging? Excitement? A calmer life? Reassurance? Freedom? Time back?

02

Who is it really for?

The buyer? The person they’re buying it for? The person they want to become? The one nobody’s talking to?

03

What happens if they don’t?

Do they lose money? Time? A moment? Face? Do they stay stuck?

04

What’s stopping them?

Price? Fear? Effort? Embarrassment? Habit? Not knowing they need it?

05

What does everyone else in the category say?

Speed? Quality? Value? Luxury? And what’s left unsaid?

06

What’s already there that no one’s pointing at?

A detail? A feature? A promise? Something customers love that ads ignore?

07

What’s the weakness that could be a strength?

Too small? Too slow? Too simple? Too quiet?

08

What do we want them to feel?

Seen? Relieved? Proud? Smart? Excited? Understood? Confident? In control?

09

What would it take to convince me?

I’m not an email. And neither are you.

Email is a great way to send a file and a terrible way to meet someone. I hate to think how many buddy films have died in an inbox.

I got into this at 24 for the magic and stayed for the people. I’m happiest as the supporting character, the one who helps the hero find the moment that carries the plot. Sometimes I’m the voice of reason, sometimes the comic relief, and sometimes the one saying, “Come on, it’ll be fun. It’s not like we’ll get arrested.” Always with cruise director energy.

So skip the formalities. A project, a half-baked idea, a conversation about ad psych that gets us thrown out of a bar: I’d love to hear from you. Really.

Lindsey
“Alone, bad. Friend, good.”The Monster, Young Frankenstein

Made

Fueled by a decade and a half in production, on campaigns for BODYARMOR, Keurig, John Deere, Land Rover, Harley-Davidson, Tractor Supply, Walmart and Jiffy Lube.

See the visual work →

That’s a wrap.

lindsey@lindseygrace.com

Lindsey GraceAds people would choose to watch.*  *For most.lindseygrace.com
01 / 12

Zaxby’s · “Imagine the Saucibilities”

Imagine the saucibilities.

Zaxby’s whole identity is its sauces, but the ads called them the best without naming a single one.

The spot

Goodby Silverstein & Partners asked me to come up with a few ideas for Zaxby’s, a Southeast chicken chain whose whole identity is its sauces. The spots running at the time had Omar Epps sitting in a restaurant, chill and authoritative, telling us Zaxby’s has the best sauces without telling us what we’re working with. Expecting us to just… trust him?

Before he was an actor, Epps was a rapper. So I wrote a tune that takes us on a journey through the saucibilities by name, mood and occasion, led by the Sauce Boss himself.

▶ Listen to the song

The thinking

What we’re selling
Chicken fingers, and the sauces that make them.
What we’re really selling
A craving with a name.
The problem
Zaxby’s whole identity is its sauces, but the ads called them the best without naming a single one.
The insight
The sauces actually sound pretty good, so the product was persuasive on its own. The ad just wasn’t showing it.
Why it works
It uses talent the brand already pays for in a way most viewers don’t see coming, finally says what the product is, and plays like a sketch instead of an ad, so people stay for it.
02 / 12

Zevia · “Deb”

Zero sugar. Zero disappointment.**For most.

Every office has a Deb, the resident expert on everything. Zevia is the one thing she can’t correct.

The spot

Deb corrects the elevator button, Tim’s presentation, a coworker’s laptop bag and someone’s comma. Then she hears a can crack open and speed-walks to the breakroom.

“Do you know how much sugar is in one of those?” “Zero.” She looks like her team just lost the finals. Then, shyly: “Do you mind if I…?”

The thinking

What we’re selling
A zero-sugar soda.
What we’re really selling
A soda you never have to defend.
The problem
“Zero sugar” usually reads as “zero taste,” and nobody believes a brand that says otherwise.
The insight
Every office has a Deb. If the person who corrects everyone can’t find anything wrong, there’s nothing wrong.
Why it works
The skeptic becomes the proof. We spend a minute watching her be right about everything, so when she’s finally speechless, it lands.

The script

Zevia · “Deb”

INT. OFFICE – DAY

A quick montage of DEB, the office's resident expert on everything.

The elevator. A woman jabs the door-close button. Deb, standing behind her:

DEBThat doesn't actually do anything.

The meeting. Tim is halfway through presenting an idea.

DEBActually, Tim, I'm gonna push back on that.

He stops. She thinks for a moment.

DEBThe idea's good. Just do it again with more presence.

The laptop. A man slides his laptop into his tote bag. She walks by.

DEBYou're gonna want a sleeve for that. The corners get scratched.

He looks down at the bag.

MANIt's the company's.

DEBStill.

The office plant. Deb passes a plant on a coworker's desk and rotates the pot about an inch.

DEBThey like indirect light.

She doesn't break stride.

The thermostat. A coworker reaches for the thermostat. Deb slides in between him and the dial.

DEBDid you check with everyone first?

His hand slowly lowers.

The birthday card. Deb signs a group birthday card. Before passing it on, she adds a dot above someone else's comma, making it a semicolon.

Across the office: psssht. A can cracks open.

Deb's head snaps up like a dog hearing a whistle. She speed-walks, not runs, toward the breakroom, smoothing her cardigan on the way.

INT. BREAKROOM – CONTINUOUS

She arrives casually and leans on the counter. A WOMAN holds an open can.

DEBDo you know how much sugar is in one of those?

WOMANZero.

DEBAre you sure?

WOMANYup.

DEBOh.

She looks like her team just lost the finals.

DEBWell, I was gonna do a whole thing about it.

A beat. Then, shyly:

DEB…Do you mind if I…?

The woman sets the can down and folds her hands below her waist. Her face says: I know how much you need this. Please continue.

Deb beams. She has finally been seen.

SUPER: Zevia. Zero sugar. Zero disappointment.*

FINE PRINT: *For most.

CUT BACK TO DEB

DEBSo, most people don't really think about their pancreas…

END.
03 / 12

Taco Bell · “Rest in Pizza”

Don’t let this happen to you.

Every time Taco Bell pulls the Mexican Pizza, people act like a family member died. That’s not a menu item, that’s a loved one. So let’s give it the send-off it deserves.

The spot

An overcast cemetery. A small crowd in black. On the headstone: R.I.P. Mexican Pizza, with the months it was on the menu. Over the grave sits a tiny, pizza-sized coffin.

A woman sniffles into her husband’s shoulder. The pastor does his best with the material: “We didn’t get as much time as we would have liked. But it was the quality of that time that mattered.”

A little boy looks up at his dad. “You said you’d take me.” Dad, through his teeth: “Not now, son.”

The kid steps forward and, with the gravity of a man laying a rose, sprinkles a handful of shredded cheese over the coffin.

The thinking

What we’re selling
The Mexican Pizza, back for a limited time.
What we’re really selling
Urgency people actually feel.
The problem
“Limited time only” is wallpaper. Everyone says it, so nobody acts on it.
The insight
Fans already mourn the Mexican Pizza every time it leaves. We didn’t invent the grief; we just held the funeral.
Why it works
It plays the fans’ own reaction back to them at full volume, and the kid with the cheese gives the whole thing a button.

The script

Taco Bell · “Rest in Pizza”

EXT. CEMETERY – DAY

A graveside service. Overcast. A small crowd in black.

A tombstone reads: R.I.P. MEXICAN PIZZA, with the months it was on the menu beneath.

A tiny, pizza-sized coffin rests over the grave.

A WOMAN in black sniffles. Her HUSBAND pulls her close.

PASTORToday we say goodbye to a beloved member of our community, one who touched so many lives.

PASTORWe didn't get as much time as we would have liked. But it was the quality of that time that mattered.

A small BOY looks up at his FATHER.

BOYYou said you'd take me.

FATHER(through his teeth)Not now, son.

The boy steps forward and solemnly sprinkles shredded cheese over the coffin.

SUPER: Don't let this happen to you.

SUPER: Mexican Pizza. At Taco Bell for a limited time.
04 / 12

Home Chef · “Dinner, Without the Decisions”

Cheaper than takeout. Easier than deciding.

Every meal kit fights over the person who already wants to cook. The bigger market is the person who doesn’t.

The spots

A nature documentary follows the adult human male through his third straight day of staring into the fridge before he “summons food from a distant land at three times the cost.”

And a crew of alley rats, furious that one woman stopped wasting groceries, begs viewers to keep ordering takeout.

Both are funny enough to watch twice, and neither looks like anything else in the category.

The thinking

What we’re selling
A meal kit.
What we’re really selling
The adult you keep meaning to be.
The problem
Meal-kit ads sell easy prep and healthy eating, and everyone else tunes out the moment they see another box on a sunny kitchen counter. Meanwhile, they lose hundreds a month to delivery while last week’s groceries rot in the fridge.
The insight
The real competitor isn’t another box. It’s the delivery app.
Why it works
In a category where everything is sold the same way, people reach for whatever they remember first. The brand that made them laugh is the one they think of when they’re finally ready to order.

The scripts

Home Chef · “Nature Documentary”

INT. KITCHEN – MORNING

Wide shot. A man stands at an open refrigerator.

NARRATOR(hushed, nature-documentary)The adult human male begins his morning ritual. For the third consecutive day, he will open the refrigerator, stare at its contents for ninety seconds, and close it without removing anything.

He closes the fridge, opens the pantry, and stares.

NARRATORThe pantry offers no greater clarity.

Close on his phone: a delivery checkout. $34.65 for one meal. His thumb hits Order.

NARRATORInstead, he summons food from a distant land at three times the cost. Researchers estimate he has done this two hundred and twelve times this year.

Day four. Same shot. He opens the fridge. It’s stocked with labeled meal-kit bags.

NARRATOROn the fourth day, something remarkable occurs. The adult male opens the refrigerator… and removes something.

Music swells as he theatrically swishes something in a lifted pan, like he’s seen in the movies.

NARRATORImpressed with his own performance, the male places his bounty on the plates reserved for special occasions. And his parents.

Cut to the box: every ingredient pre-portioned and labeled, a recipe card on top.

NARRATOREverything he needs, delivered. For a fraction of the cost of takeout.

SUPER: Home Chef. Dinner, without the decisions.

END.

Home Chef · “Rat(atouille)”

EXT. ALLEY – NIGHT

Three rats huddle around an upturned bottle cap like it’s a poker table.

SAL(New York)So last week I’m in the wall at this guy’s apartment, right? Just checkin’ things out, seein’ what we’re workin’ with. Guy lives like a king. Rice in the cabinet. Vegetables wilting beautifully in the fridge. A nice wheel of stinky cheese.

PEARL(squeaky)Okay?

SALWell, get this: this nut job orders Thai food. Forty-two dollars.

PEARLForty-two dollars?!

SALSo then I hit this lady’s place. Lawyer type. Responsible. Place is a nightmare. No rotting veggies. No crackers aged to perfection. She gets these boxes delivered, but it’s not delivery, and then I see her whippin’ stuff up like she works at a Michelin.

DONNYThe tire place?

SALNot now, Donny. I’m talkin’ chicken cordon bleu. Roast chicken with mango salsa. Ratatouille…

DONNY(laid back)Wonder what that guy’s up to.

SALDonny, please.

Sal turns to camera. Slow, deliberate eye contact.

SALEvery night, rats like me go to bed hungry. You can help. Order takeout.

INT. HER APARTMENT – NIGHT

Candlelight. Across the table from her, her date takes a bite.

HIMThis is great. What is this?

HERRatatouille.

HIMI love that movie.

SUPER: Home Chef. Dinner, without the decisions.

END.
05 / 12

Duolingo · “Dead Time”

Use the time you’re wasting.

Time is the number one excuse for not learning anything. But people don’t lack time. They lack time they’re willing to give up.

The spot

A guy is on the toilet, thumb flicking through his phone. The bathroom door creaks open. Duo peeks around the edge and just stares.

Later, on the couch, Duo shows up as an ad in his feed and slowly draws a wing across his throat. He scrolls faster. In a doctor’s waiting room, a door swings open and Duo bounces out in a surgical mask, looks at him, and shakes his head.

That night, lights out, his face glowing blue, two big eyes rise slowly over the edge of the mattress. The music drops out. He closes the app and downloads Duolingo. The eyes sink back down, satisfied.

Cut to a sunny café in Italy, where he orders in perfect Italian. “Where did you learn such beautiful Italian?” “In the bathroom, mostly.”

The thinking

What we’re selling
A language app.
What we’re really selling
Proof that your downtime counted.
The problem
People say they don’t have time to learn. They do. They just spend it scrolling.
The insight
Duolingo’s owl is already famous for guilt-tripping people. Let him follow you into every minute you waste.
Why it works
It uses the character the internet already loves, and it ends on a payoff, not a threat.

The script

Duolingo · “Dead Time”

FADE IN:

INT. APARTMENT BATHROOM – DAY

A GUY (30s) sits on the toilet, thumb flicking through his phone. Totally absorbed.

The bathroom door CREAKS slowly open.

DUO peeks around the edge of the door. Says nothing. Just stares.

The Guy jolts.

INT. LIVING ROOM – DAY

The Guy is sprawled on the couch, scrolling.

On his phone: a Duolingo “ad” in his feed. Duo stares straight into camera and slowly draws a wing across his throat.

The Guy looks concerned. Scrolls faster.

INT. DOCTOR’S WAITING ROOM – DAY

RECEPTIONISTJust take a seat there.

The Guy sits. Immediately starts scrolling.

A door swings open. Duo bounces out wearing a surgical mask. Looks at him. Slowly shakes his head.

INT. BEDROOM – NIGHT

Lights out. The Guy’s face glows blue from his phone. Still scrolling.

Two big eyes rise slowly over the edge of the mattress.

He freezes.

The music drops out. A long, defeated beat.

He closes the app. Downloads Duolingo.

The eyes sink back down below the mattress. Satisfied.

DUOLINGO

EXT. ITALIAN CAFÉ – DAY

Sunshine. The Guy, phone in hand, a Duolingo streak glowing on the screen, orders in perfect Italian.

WOMAN(in Italian; subtitled)Where did you learn such beautiful Italian?

GUY(in Italian; subtitled; delighted)In the bathroom, mostly.

She gives him a look.

He happily goes back to his espresso.

SUPER: Duolingo. Use the time you’re wasting.

FADE OUT.
06 / 12

Rolex · “Proof”

Built with purpose. Worn with it.

Rolex doesn’t have an awareness problem. It needs a reason to buy that has nothing to do with status.

The spot

The watch never moves. We lock the camera on the wrist. The arm keeps working, diving, climbing, steering, discovering, while the watch never shifts in frame and the world around it changes. The deep green of the ocean, lit only by a diver’s torch. Snow flurrying against a sleeve at the summit. A hand steady on a plane’s yoke through the night. The second hand never misses.

That was always Hans Wilsdorf’s genius. In 1927 he put an Oyster on Mercedes Gleitze’s wrist for her swim across the English Channel. After more than ten hours in cold water, it was still keeping time, and he took a full-page ad in the Daily Mail to tell the world. He didn’t buy ad space to make promises. He bought it to announce proof.

The thinking

What we’re selling
A watch.
What we’re really selling
Pride of belonging.
The problem
Rolex lives rent-free in people’s heads, so most of its advertising works as a reminder. That keeps the people who already want one warm, but it doesn’t give anyone else a new reason to choose it.
The insight
A Rolex was never jewelry. It’s a tool, built to perform. Oysters went up Everest in 1953 and to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in 1960, and came back still ticking.
Why it works
Proof gives people who don’t care about status a reason to care about performance. Owning one means joining that legacy.

I wrote another one for Rolex. They’ll never go for it.
07 / 12

Taco Bell · “Legends Never Die”

Fame fades. Icons don’t.

Taco Bell has one of the most iconic mascots in advertising history. Everyone still knows the line.

The spot

A chihuahua trots down a suburban sidewalk, living his best retired life, and stops to pee on a bush. A dog walking the other way does the polite thing and sniffs his butt. Then freezes. Sniffs again. Oh my God. It’s him.

“I’m a huge fan. What happened to you?” He gives the full washed-up-celebrity answer: had a great run, wanted to explore other opportunities. The fan asks for an autograph. “I would if I had thumbs.”

The fan deflates, then shoots his shot one last time. “Would you at least say it once? Please?” And something shifts in those big wet eyes. He remembers what that line still means to people. The music swells like he’s about to accept a lifetime achievement award, he lifts his chin, turns to camera, and gives the people what they came for.

“Yo quiero Taco Bell.”

The thinking

What we’re selling
Taco Bell.
What we’re really selling
Nostalgia you can order.
The problem
The brand’s most beloved asset has been sitting on a shelf for twenty years.
The insight
Everyone still knows the line. They’ve just been waiting for someone to say it.
Why it works
It plays like a washed-up-celebrity sketch, and the payoff is exactly what the audience is begging for.

The script

Taco Bell · “Legends Never Die”

EXT. SUBURBAN SIDEWALK – DAY

A CHIHUAHUA trots along, happy as can be. He stops to pee on a bush.

ANOTHER DOG walks toward him from the opposite direction. As they meet, he circles around to sniff the chihuahua's butt. He freezes. Sniffs again. It clicks.

DOGHey… don't I know you from somewhere? Oh my gosh. I'm a huge fan. What happened to you?

CHIHUAHUAI had a great run, but I really wanted to expand my career and explore other opportunities.

DOGWell, that's great. Do you mind if I get an autograph?

CHIHUAHUAI would if I had thumbs.

The dog deflates for a second.

DOGOkay. Well… would you at least say it once? Please?

A beat. Something shifts in the chihuahua's eyes. He realizes what that line still means to people. Swelling, heroic music kicks in. He lifts his chin and turns to camera, proud.

CHIHUAHUAYo quiero Taco Bell.

SUPER: Fame fades. Icons don't. Taco Bell, since 1962.

END.
08 / 12

Zevia · “Taste Test #64”

Zero sugar. Zero difference.

Prove it the way the brand would have to: a blind taste test. The slate on the first shot reads “Taste Test #64,” so you know they’ve been chasing this result for a while.

The spot

A hand claps a slate: “Taste Test #64.” A sterile food lab, white light, steel table. A huddle of scientists in hairnets and aprons stands around a blindfolded taster with two cups in front of him. Nobody speaks. A lab tech swaps one cup out. Another slides them around so even she can’t be sure which is which. Then everyone goes still.

He sips the first. Then the second. Then the first again. The room holds its breath. Somewhere a fluorescent light hums. Sixty-three tries have led to this moment.

“Did you give me the same one twice?” “…No.”

The lab explodes. Two scientists grab each other. Phil yanks a confetti cannon, and paper rains down over everyone. In the middle of it, the guy next to him, flat as a board: “Alright, Phil.”

The thinking

What we’re selling
Zero-sugar soda that tastes like the real thing.
What we’re really selling
No trade-off.
The problem
“Tastes just like” is a claim everyone makes and nobody hears anymore.
The insight
Don’t say it, prove it, the way a lab would. And show how long it took: #64 on the slate tells the whole backstory in one shot.
Why it works
The bigger the celebration, the more the result feels earned. The deadpan “Alright, Phil” lets the air out so the line can land.

The script

Zevia · “Taste Test #64”

INT. FOOD LAB – DAY

A huddle of food scientists in white kitchen aprons and hairnets crowds a steel table. At the center, a blindfolded TASTER sits in front of two cups.

A LAB TECH swaps one cup out for another. The tech on the other side switches the cups around.

The taster sips the first. Then the second. Then the first again. A long beat.

TASTERDid you give me the same one twice?

LAB TECHNo.

The huddle goes nuts. Two scientists on the left hug. On the right, PHIL pulls the release on a confetti cannon. Confetti rains down over the whole group.

The man next to him, quietly:

MANAlright, Phil.

SUPER: Zevia. Zero sugar. Zero difference.

END.

Alternate opening

INT. RICH MAHOGANY OFFICE – DAY

Leather-bound books. A crackling fireplace. A brass nameplate on an enormous desk:

Behind it sits the CEO, blindfolded, with the gravity of a man who owns several yachts and is disappointed in all of them. The huddle of food scientists in white aprons and hairnets stands around the desk.

The same sequence follows (the cup swap, the switch, the three sips, "Did you give me the same one twice?", "No.") but with subdued energy. Instead of going nuts, the scientists just smile politely at each other.

Then PHIL pulls the release on a confetti cannon. Confetti rains down over the mahogany.

The man next to him, quietly:

MANAlright, Phil.

SUPER: Zevia. Zero sugar. Zero difference.
09 / 12

Purple · “Leg Out”

A leg in at night means a leg up in the morning.

Everyone does the leg-out-of-the-covers thing. Nobody’s ever been told it’s a problem.

The spot

A man in a white lab coat stands beside a mattress and addresses camera with total authority. He’s a doctor, and studies show that sticking a leg out of the covers to cool off, then pulling it back in, wrecks your sleep. Purple’s GelFlex Grid lets air flow through the mattress, so you can stay under the covers and out of his office.

His wife walks in. “What are you doing?” Quietly: “I’m trying to do a thing.” She turns to camera: what her husband is trying to say is that it saved their marriage. He gives a thumbs up.

Then, to him: “Honey, take off my coat. I’m late for work.” He hands it over. “And the stethoscope.” He sighs and slaps it softly into her hand.

The thinking

What we’re selling
A mattress that sleeps cool.
What we’re really selling
Sleep you don’t have to manage.
The problem
Mattress ads all promise “better sleep” in the same white bedroom, and they all sound the same.
The insight
The leg out from under the covers is something everyone does and no one talks about. Name it, and the product has a job.
Why it works
It borrows the category’s fake-authority move and then pulls the coat off it, literally.

The script

Purple · “Leg Out”

INT. BEDROOM – DAY

A MAN in a white lab coat stands beside a mattress, speaking to camera with total authority.

MANHi, I'm a doctor. Studies show that extending a leg outside the covers to cool your body, then pulling it back in, can disrupt your sleep, starting your morning off on the wrong foot. Purple's GelFlex Grid lets air flow through the mattress, so you can stay under the covers and out of my office.

His WIFE walks in.

WIFEWhat are you doing?

HUSBAND(embarrassed, quietly)I'm trying to do a thing.

She turns to camera.

WIFEWhat my husband is trying to say is that it saved our marriage.

He gives a thumbs up to camera.

Beat. She turns to him.

WIFEHoney, take off my coat. I'm late for work.

SUPER: Purple. A leg in at night means a leg up in the morning.

He hands her the coat.

WIFEAnd the stethoscope.

He sighs. Without looking at her, he slaps it softly into her hand.

END.
10 / 12

LiveWire · “The Return”

Not a quieter motorcycle. A louder world.

Every rider will tell you the soul of a motorcycle is the sound it makes. Electric brands are apologetically aware of what they’re missing.

Two films

Run it back. The same ride, twice. Keys, door, kids at a pickup game, a ball dropping through the net, a girl leaning out a car window: “I think my brother has that bike!” The first time, all we hear is the engine. The second time, on a LiveWire, we hear all of it.

Miss the sound? She sells her gas bike to a friend. “Think you’ll miss the sound?” She gives him a half smile. The next morning she rides out of the city on a LiveWire, and the world fades up around her. Real sound only. The road does the talking.

The thinking

What we’re selling
An electric motorcycle.
What we’re really selling
Being present on the road again.
The problem
To lose the sound is for a bike to lose its soul. I know, because I ride. The category answers with high-energy montages, trying to make electric something it will never be.
The insight
What if the silence wasn’t a loss but a gain? The chance to hear everything combustion has been drowning out: the wind, the gravel, and the thoughts only a road lets in.
Why it works
It turns the reason you don’t buy into the reason you do. Not a replacement for what you love. A return to the reason you started riding.
11 / 12

Squatty Potty · “Sparkle Sparkle”

He’ll tell you.

How do you know if a man owns a bidet? He’ll tell you.

The spot

Men love a gadget, and when one finally works the way it should, they can’t shut up about it. Martin is that guy, and this spot is him telling the whole neighborhood, in song.

It’s a full-blown musical number that starts in his bathroom and spills out onto the street. The neighbors react the way you’d expect: one guy nods along like he gets it, an old man waters the sidewalk because he can’t look away, and a veteran stands up from his lawn chair and salutes. By the big finish, the bathroom’s a nightclub with a disco ball over the toilet, and his wife cuts him off one word before the last line, so the rhyme finishes it for you.

“Martin! What are you doing?” “Come join me, honey!”

The thinking

What we’re selling
A bidet attachment.
What we’re really selling
Bragging rights.
The problem
Nobody wants to talk about their butt, so bidet ads whisper.
The insight
Men who own a bidet never stop talking about it. The embarrassment is already the word of mouth.
Why it works
It turns the thing people are shy about into a full musical number, and the wife cuts him off before the rhyme so the audience finishes the joke.

The script

Squatty Potty · “Sparkle Sparkle”

INT. BATHROOM – DAY

A regular bathroom. The song starts. MARTIN does a little dad dance, then spins to the mirror and sings into it, his reflection looking straight at camera.

On "I switch the little switchy": close-up of his hand flipping the Refresh-it switch.

EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD STREET – DAY

Martin strolls down the sidewalk, singing. People stop and stare.

A GUY on his front porch nods along with a knowing smile. That guy knows what's up.

An OLDER MAN watering his plants can't take his eyes off Martin. He keeps spraying anyway, mostly the sidewalk.

A neighborhood DOG trots out and falls in step beside him.

An old VETERAN in a veteran's cap stands up from his lawn chair and gives Martin a slow salute.

INT. BATHROOM

The bathroom has become a nightclub. A disco ball spins over the toilet. Lights pulse.

Martin hits the big finish.

His WIFE opens the door, cutting the song off one word before the end. The rhyme says the rest.

WIFEMartin! What are you doing?

MARTINCome join me, honey!

SUPER: Squatty Potty Refresh-it. He'll tell you.

END.
12 / 12

JetBlue · “The Pantry”

Unlimited snacks for everyone.

JetBlue gives everyone free, unlimited snacks, and most people still walk past the pantry like it’s a trap. So the pantry takes matters into its own hands.

The spot

A passenger heads down the aisle and hears a “psst.” He looks around. The guy across the aisle stares back like he’s the weird one. Then the snack bags crinkle. It’s the pantry, and it’s sizing him up. “You look like a pretzel guy.” He looks down at himself and quietly accepts it: “…I am a pretzel guy.”

And then we tag the cockpit. A flight attendant hands the co-pilot a bag of chips. He turns, looks dead into camera, and says, “Even me.” He opens the bag without breaking eye contact.

The thinking

What we’re selling
Free, unlimited snacks.
What we’re really selling
Generosity you can taste.
The problem
People don’t believe free means free, so they walk right past it.
The insight
If people won’t go to the pantry, the pantry has to make the first move.
Why it works
It gives the perk a personality, and the co-pilot tag proves nobody is above a free bag of chips.

The script

JetBlue · “The Pantry”

INT. JETBLUE CABIN – DAY

A PASSENGER walks toward the back of the plane, past the Pantry: shelves of free snacks.

VOICE (O.S.)Psst.

He stops. Looks around. Glances at the MAN across the aisle, who stares back like he's weird, then buries his face in his newspaper.

VOICE (O.S.)Over here.

The snack bags crinkle. It's the Pantry.

PANTRYYou look like a pretzel guy.

He looks down at himself.

PASSENGER…I am a pretzel guy.

SUPER: JetBlue. Unlimited snacks for everyone.

INT. COCKPIT – CONTINUOUS

A FLIGHT ATTENDANT leans into the cockpit and hands a bag of chips to the CO-PILOT.

He takes it, turns, and looks straight into camera. Deadpan.

CO-PILOTEven me.

He opens the bag without breaking eye contact.
In memoriam

Rolex · “Who Will Inherit Yours?”

Legacy over luxury.

Rolex speaks to the buyer who wears it for what it says about them. But there’s an overlooked group who would never buy one for status, and might buy one to pass down.

The idea

What they’re really buying is the moment it’s placed in someone’s hand. This speaks to the person buying their first watch, before there’s anyone to hand it to, or when the hand is still too small to hold it.

There’s a quiet urgency here: the sooner you buy one, the more miles, meaning and memories it collects, so by the time it’s handed down it’s heavy with identity, legacy and the richness of time.

The thinking

What we’re really selling
The moment it’s placed in someone’s hand.
Why it works
It plants a seed with buyers who aren’t thinking about legacy yet, turns an indulgence into an heirloom, and creates urgency without a discount.
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Lindsey Grace Whiddon
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home
ideas
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Motion
Generative
Why I do it
words
Fast Women
Portraits
personal
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Lindsey Grace Whiddon

lindsey@lindseygrace.com
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