Little Davis Pryce—The Davis Auto Group hired Cerami Creative to increase awareness of the company’s brand and four dealerships, beyond the commodity-based advertising that is pervasive within the auto industry. Because some of their dealerships were being outspent on media buys by competitors, (sometimes by a four to one margin), it was imperative to create advertising that was aggressive and would get noticed immediately. Cerami Creative created a character named Little Davis Pryce. Little Davis Pryce was a fictional “boss” at the dealerships. Though he was just two and a half feet tall, he browbeat his employees into offering the best prices and the best service to Davis customers. Employees were fearful of him, but customers loved him because they always knew that he was looking out for their interests.
After an extensive casting session to decide who should portray Little Davis, an experienced actor was chosen. To further enhance and distinguish his character, particularly on radio, a character voice-over actor was hired to dub in Little Davis’s voice.
Through the use of a green screen and computer-generated effects, actor Pat Defusco was reduced to two and half feet for the television spots and his head size was disproportionally increased to be larger than his body to create a humorous-looking live-action character. The production and postproduction digital effects team was able to complete the spots in a one-day shoot to keep the budget reasonable while making the special effects appear flawless.
The campaign was carried through to the Davis Dealership website as well as to radio, print, and outdoor advertising, with the character always present. A three-foot cardboard standup was created and placed in each dealership. Customers were encouraged to take photos with Little Davis as they shopped for and purchased their cars.
Hunter Pence, spokesperson—In a previous campaign, former Phillies outfielder Hunter Pence had been chosen to be a spokesperson for the Davis Dealership group. Cerami Creative negotiated the terms of Mr. Pence’s endorsement deal and he made himself available for a video for web shoot, audio recording for radio, and photographic session for print. Radio was the primary focus on this campaign, and the local sports radio station was chosen for the media buy.
Rather than have Mr. Pence be a conventional spokesperson reciting sales lines, Cerami Creative decided that it would be more entertaining to have him try to embrace his new Philadelphia home and the Philly lifestyle. Having grown up in Texas, Mr. Pence’s attempts to “speak” Philly were both comical and effective. He was extremely amenable to the unorthodox approach during the recording session, and the results created greater awareness of and more visits to the dealerships and the website for the Davis Group.
