O Positive’s Brian Billow on the Soft Sell of ED

By Anthony Vagnoni & Chandler Atton

We all know the routine for erectile dysfunction commercials: sort of like a Hallmark movie meets the Spice Channel from late night TV, often with a toss of polite innuendo tossed in. But leave it to O Positive’s comedy master Brian Billow to take the stuffing out of this tired form.

In “Second Half Rally,” a coach exhorts his team to get out there and (ahem) try harder in the second half. “You’re soft!” he barks, and that’s just the start of a procession of tongue in check dick jokes that pepper this short. They range from the set-up lines all the way down to the players’ names on the back of their jerseys (Johnson, Wood, Peters, you get it).

What sets Rugiet apart, according to the ad, is that it not only effects blood flow (that’s the mechanical side of ED treatments), but brain chemistry (the fantasy side) as well. Exactly how isn’t explained, but as the coach explains to his somewhat perplexed team, he found out all about this from his wife’s work husband.  Says Rugiet CEO Mike Apostal, “This ad sets the tone for us. We’re not here to whisper about men’s health in hushed tones. We’re building a bold, creative men’s health company that speaks to men with honesty, confidence and a sense of humor.”

Created by Rugiet’s in-house agency and edited by Ryan Steele at Mackcut, the spot broke in two versions: a more traditional thirty-second cut, and a longer and infinitely funnier version that’s almost two minutes long, which we’ve linked below.

There’s a lot of double entendres and puns in this spot, particularly in the longer version. (Heh heh.) How did you keep the performances and reaction shots from appearing over the top or sophomoric?

Brian: First, we avoided double entendres completely. Instead, we opted for triple entendres. But seriously, it came down to our great cast and their underacted reactions. As we crafted the edit, those were the biggest laugh points. But those moments wouldn’t have been possible without the juxtaposition of the killer lead performance of our coach, Johny Mack. He crushed the role.

What was key to pulling off the comedy in this spot? The performance of the coach? The timing of the players’ reactions? Where did you think the funny would come from?

Brian: Silly writing that’s acted straight and shot with cinematic reverence. That’s often the simple recipe for comedy. We worked on this a great deal in the casting sessions, rewriting constantly and playing with different temperatures of performance.

Did the client provide any of the crew members with discount coupons for their product? Seriously, what was the reaction of the crew and all the people in your key departments on working on a comedy commercial for something as touchy as ED?

Brian: Everyone had a blast making a spot that doesn’t take itself too seriously. But come to think of it, maybe their good mood was also due to the free samples available at craft service. At least it’s proof Rugiet really works on mind and body.

ED spots typically have the look and feel of typical pharma ads – loving couples walking hand in hand, or worse, taking separate baths out in the countryside. How do you think this ad will 'stand out' in the increasingly crowded field of male health products? 

Brian: Leveraging the bathtubs in countryside trope, I storyboarded a shot of two guys in the locker room sitting in adjacent ice baths, holding hands but we ran out of time before we got that one.

Credits:

VP, Brand & Creative: Andrew Fatato

Creative Director: Steve Reepmeyer

Creatives: Erik Fahrenkopf, Sam Bartos

Executive Producer: Olivia Baker   

Producer: Sofia Aguilar

Production Company: O Positive

Director: Brian Billow

Director of Photography: Larry Fong

Executive producer: Ralph Laucella, Marc Grill

Line Producer: Grayson Bithell

Production Designer: Maia Javan

Editorial: Mackcut

Editor: Ryan Steele

Executive Producer: Gina Pagano

Music House: Finger Music & Sound Design