The Pitt family has gotten a lot of press the last week. One of the reasons being Doug Pitt, Brad Pitt’s younger brother, starring in a Virgin Mobile Commercial that went viral on YouTube. Doug Pitt is a local philanthropist in Springfield, Missouri, and a goodwill ambassador to Tanzania. He was a huge support to Askinosie Chocolate and Chocolate University during their first trip to Tanzania in the summer of 2010.
Why This Ad Worked:
The campaign featured Doug Pitt’s “first celebrity endorsement,” because Virgin Mobile wanted to make life a bit fairer in the Pitt family.
The concept behind this ad is brilliant. It makes a connection to a household name (Brad Pitt) and connects it to the every man (Brad’s brother). Doug also has just the right amount of nerdy wit to pull off the average man living in the suburbs of America.
The Huffington Post said, “It isn’t much to see — and that’s the point. Doug nails the part of the uncool suburbanite.”
The ad shows Doug doing every day activities like mowing the lawn, riding a bicycle and printing on his awesome black and white printer. One standout moment is when Doug brags about his homemade birdhouse. As a Springfield local, it was great to see our simple life given the celebrity treatment. (Although, the video was not filmed in Springfield.)
