Why Vanilla Ice and the late Bob Ross are in a Bob's Discount Furniture campaign

Bob’s Discount Furniture is calling on a bunch of famous Bobs to help it reach a wider audience. The effort, which launched today and is called “Assemble the Bobs,” includes everyone from the late Bob Ross to the brand’s founder Bob Kaufman acting as the brand’s salespeople. The brand, owned by Bain Capital, has expanded to 150 stores across the U.S., according to its Chief Brand Officer Stephen Nesle. “We need more bobs; Bob can’t be in a million places at once,” said Nesle. “So we’re deputizing Bobs to help us spread that mission.” The campaign was produced by Arnold Worldwide and the brand's internal marketing department, LB & Co. In one spot, an animation of the late American painter and art instructor Ross (reminiscent of the brand’s familiar Bob puppet animation) sells furniture to a woman as he paints what is supposed to be her sitting on a mattress. “That’s a forest,” says the woman, when she sees the painting. “Nature is how I express my feelings,” Bob Ross the puppet says unapologetically. Ross was previously recreated using CGI in an ad for Mtn Dew early last year. Other ads in the campaign include American rapper Robert Van Winkle, professionally known as Vanilla Ice, and comedian Rob Schneider. Other iterations of the campaign will include a spot in the week leading up to Presidents Day featuring the brand’s founder Kaufman. The brand is counting on the wide variety of Bobs to resonate with different people, attracting a wide audience. Nesle declined to provide spending figures for the campaign but called it “one of Bob’s most ambitious campaigns ever,” in terms of both amount spent and production. It includes 15, 30- and 60-second spots that will be featured on digital platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, as well as TV. The brand’s last campaign was holiday-themed and took place early-to-mid December. There will also be an in-store portion to the advertising, said Nesle, that allows customers to ask for a pin and post a selfie wearing the pin online using the campaign’s hashtag.

Why Vanilla Ice and the late Bob Ross are in a Bob's Discount Furniture campaign

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