Chris Pratt lies incessantly about TravisMathew’s history in comical new ads

When Chris Pratt starts prattling on, in a new TravisMathew ad, about how a guy named Aaron Turdberry founded the apparel brand in 1931, you quickly know something’s up. Wasn’t it golfer Travis Johnson who started the company much more recently—in 2007? What the hell is going on here? Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs It turns out that’s hardly the only tall tale the actor spins in an offbeat campaign breaking today from Imagine Entertainment and O Positive director Jim Jenkins. Pratt has plenty more to say as he strolls through a bucolic Malibu paradise—about Travis’ brother, about the unlikely origins of sports in America, about cannibalistic cats. But his yarn-spinning—an expertly realized parody of well-worn heritage campaigns—comes at a cost, as we find out at the conclusion of each amusing spot. The work is a significant departure from the brand’s first campaign with Pratt from early 2022, which was more conventional—with the actor extolling the virtues of the clothing in ads from The Kimba Group. But Chief Marketing Officer Leif Sunderland told Ad Age that Pratt’s comic range, well known to his fans, allowed them to make the left turn. “Chris aligns so well with our brand—aspirational yet approachable, doesn’t take himself too seriously, willing to push things toward the absurd. We really wanted to lean into that,” Sunderland said. “Set in an epic Malibu backdrop, the spots take you through the ‘history’ of TravisMathew as told through Chris Pratt’s wild imagination. As the viewer gets hooked, each spot takes a unique turn where TravisMathew has no choice but to fire Chris for going off script.” In fact, he doesn’t go off script at all—this is how the spots were written from the start. But in loosening the reins creatively, the brand hoped to give Pratt more of a chance to share his goofy side, which should help the work break through more. “We know this campaign is a bit unconventional, but feel confident it will capture the attention of those who see it and bring a new level of awareness to our brand,” said Chris Peterson, senior director of marketing at TravisMathew. Imagine Entertainment, founded in 1986 by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, typically focuses on long-form content when it comes to brand work but was drawn to the unconventional premise here, said Marc Gilbar, the company’s president of brands. “You see so many brands make these bold, dramatic heritage plays touting their rich histories and origin stories that it makes you wonder—do consumers really care that much about the past, or do they just want a great product?” Gilbar said. “TravisMathew doesn’t necessarily have a rich history, but they do make a great product.” To script the spots, Imagine worked with a pair of well-known advertising comedy writers—Ian Reichenthal, co-creator of the original Skittles “Blank the Rainbow” campaign, and Dave Canning, whose credits include a lot of ESPN comedy work. Gavin Cutler of MackCut was the editor. “We liked the idea that Chris Pratt has seen all these other brand histories in commercials over the years and just decided on his own, without telling anyone, that this is what the campaign should be,” said Reichenthal. “The problem is, when you make stuff up on the fly, it can get really crazy really quickly. So the story is he was fired and the brand decided to air the spots anyway with a disclaimer. In retrospect, maybe that logic doesn’t quite hold up, but it’s too late now.” Reichenthal said the spots had to be tightly scripted since they were all shot in one take and had to fit to time. “But we also figured we’d be idiots not to leave room for Chris Pratt to ad lib,” he added. In the end, Pratt came up with the idea for the “Two First Names” spot, and the ending was unscripted. The ads will run on connected TV, YouTube and social platforms. TravisMathew was acquired by golf giant Callaway in 2017. In 2022, the brand exceeded $300 million in revenue and opened 11 new retail stores, with nine more expected in 2023. The company leans heavily into high-profile brand ambassadors. In addition to Pratt, it works with a roster of professional athletes including golfer Jon Rahm, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and NBA star Alex Caruso. For the record, TravisMathew was founded by Travis Johnson in 2007. As for whether your cat will eat your eyeballs after you die—the jury is still out on that one. Ad Age Creativity Bookmark our section covering the best in brand creativity every day Read more here

Chris Pratt lies incessantly about TravisMathew’s history in comical new ads

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