At the beginning of the summer the boys were back in town.
A few particularly well-known guys from the area.
This month, a new video commercial for Kendall Ford of Meridian’s Bronco showroom hit screens across the Treasure Valley. Like many previous Kendall commercials, the commercial features former Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore and standout defensive player Leighton Vander Esch.
But this ad has a small catch.
Guess who came back today?
The scene takes place at a stoplight in downtown Boise. Vander Esch pulls up in a gleaming white Bronco and waits a moment in neutral. Then Moore pulls up next to him in a gray-blue Bronco model. He honks to get Vander Esch’s attention. They smile and exchange glances.
Then you hear an engine with a slightly deeper tone and a familiar song blares from the radio. An older yellow Bronco rolls up, and then you spot it – and hear the song.
Coach Chris Petersen grins, leans back and gives it a little gas.
“The Boys Are Back in Town,” the 1976 hit by Irish band Thin Lizzy, is in full swing.
And here we go… Coach Pete leaves the young players in the lurch in his classic model.
Spread the word.
The spot came from Boise advertising agency 116 & West, which handles marketing work for Boise-based Kendall Auto Group and its 43 dealerships across the West. The idea, said Edward Moore, CEO of 116 & West, was to showcase Kendall’s Ford Bronco Club showroom in a memorable way. They had Kellen Moore and Vander Esch on tap, but the Coach Pete moment helps the ad stand out.
“One of us said, ‘I wonder if we could get Coach Pete,'” said Kelly Knopp, creative director of 116 & West.
“And the other one said, ‘What if he was in a classic Bronco?'” said Edward Moore.
(Edward Moore and Kellen Moore are not related. And Edward is a proud vandal, he notes.)
The Bronco showroom, one of only a few in the country, opened last year. Knopp said they ran some ads with typical drone shots and the like, but wanted to do a more premium brand spot.
To get Petersen involved, Edward Moore said he called former Boise State University athletic director Curt Apsey.
“One of the great things about Boise and Idaho is that we’re all about two degrees apart…” said Edward Moore. “I’m friends with Curt – Curt and Pete are close friends. I talked to Curt first and said, ‘We have an idea… do you think he would consider it?'”
When Moore and Petersen came into contact, Coach Pete immediately understood the idea, he said.
Living in the city centre
But the logistical challenge of lining up Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, recently retired Dallas Cowboys linebacker Vander Esch and Fox Sports commentator Petersen on a downtown Boise street proved difficult.
When they found a date, they were worried about the hot weather and smoke situation. On the morning of the shoot, which took place in mid-July at the corner of 6th and Idaho St., the company they had hired to block off traffic didn’t show up.
“Luckily, BPD came,” said Moore of 116. “We had hired them for security. They said if we could agree on a fee, we could take care of everything. They were super nice.”
The weather was a rare day without smoke – and a drop in temperature. But rain… rain they hadn’t expected.
“The last shot was fired just before a downpour,” said Knopp.
They wanted the spot to draw attention to a product that has seen growth in recent years.
“The Bronco is currently the hottest SUV brand around – and is even threatening Jeep’s market share,” said Edward Moore. “The vehicle comes in many different styles and formats – and demand is greater than supply. It has developed a real following.”
Jukebox … I’m banging on my favorite song
The use of popular music costs a licensing fee in the low five figures and the adverts run for four months – from the last week of the Olympics through most of the football season, so you’ll see the adverts a lot if you watch football on Saturday and Sunday.
“Television has changed. Television is not just broadcasting over terrestrial channels – it’s streaming, it’s digital delivery. But to use the term video, we still believe in the basic movements and emotions that can be conveyed in image, sound and television,” said Edward Moore.
The Thin Lizzy track that gives the spot extra punch is not a usual trick for a local spot.
“Using popular music is something that’s in the game plans of big agencies and national clients,” he said. “There are times when we can pull it off… it creates that immediate connection… people pay attention…”
Didn’t change, had a lot to say
116’s Moore paid tribute to the branding work other local agencies have done for local Ford dealers, pointing to CLM Northwest’s campaigns for Corwin Ford in Nampa and Mitchell-Palmer’s work for Lithia Ford in Boise. He said it’s unique to see local advertisers – and local agencies – running higher-quality branding spots in a market the size of Boise.
“What you’ll see in Boise, Idaho, that you may not see in other markets is that major auto dealers are actually doing brand work,” he said. “There’s no saying, ‘Get a Bronco for $1,500 under invoice,’ this is just about making a connection with the audience. (For us, it’s about) really leveraging the Kendall brand and the brand of the advertisers to create synergy. In Boise, you see a lot of sophisticated advertising that you don’t see in a lot of markets this size — even much larger markets…”
He called Kendall a community-focused company and said the inclusion of prominent community figures like Moore, Petersen and Vander Esch drives home that point. And, he said, ideas like these tie Kendall’s focus to something uniquely Boise.
“Boise has always been a success for its size. I think 50 years ago it was because of Simplot, Albertsons, Ore-Ida and those guys, and that the city had CEOs who had gone to Stanford and Harvard Business School. It’s not so much about the structure anymore, but more about what the city has become. Boise is just a very special market.”
