Agency | Goodby, Silverstein & Partners |
---|---|
Client | California Milk Processor Board |
Language | English |
Running time | 1:00 |
Product |
|
Release date(s) | October 29, 1993 [1] |
Directed by | Michael Bay [2] |
Music by | Jonathan Elias |
Starring | |
Production company | Propaganda Films |
Produced by | Cindy Epps |
Country | United States |
"Aaron Burr" is a television advertisement for milk, created in 1993. Directed by Michael Bay and starring Sean Whalen, it was the first commercial in the "Got Milk?" advertising campaign. [3] The ad depicts a history buff, portrayed by Whalen, who is unable to audibly voice the answer of a $10,000 radio contest question because he runs out of milk to wash out the peanut butter sandwich stuck in his mouth. Its title refers to the American politician of the same name, the answer to the question.
The commercial was created by advertising agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, and initially ran in October 1993 as the first ad in the "Got Milk?" advertising campaign.
It was directed by Michael Bay, then a recent film graduate of the Art Center College of Design, [4] through Propaganda Films. [1] Bay directed Bad Boys , his first feature film, the following year, and quickly became well-known as a commercially successful film director. [5] According to Jeff Goodby, it was Bay who made the ad "visually unforgettable" with "the idea of having this guy live in a warehouse or whatever", resulting in a "mixture of history and weirdness" that was both memorable and funny. [4]
The ad was produced by Cindy Epps, and its director of photography was Mark Plummer. [6] It was edited by Tom Muldoon, and its music was composed by Jonathan Elias. [1] Production design was done by Donald Graham Burt and set decoration was done by Diana Kunce.
The ad takes place in a warehouse turned into a private museum or shrine, housing a history buff's (Sean Whalen) collection of artifacts revolving around the Burr–Hamilton duel. The hapless history buff spreads peanut butter on a piece of bread while listening to classical music on the radio. At the end of the music, the radio host (voiced by Rob Paulsen) announces a $10,000 contest in which he will make a random call and ask the question, "Who shot Alexander Hamilton in that famous duel?" The man bites off half his folded sandwich in a single mouthful and knowingly looks around his museum, hearing the gunshot as he looks at the guns used in the duel.
The history buff's phone rings, and he interrupts the announcer mid-question, answering correctly by naming Aaron Burr. However, because of the peanut butter sandwich in his mouth, his answer is unintelligible. He quickly tries to wash the sandwich down with some milk, but as he goes to pour a glass, he is horrified to discover that his milk carton has only a drop left. With only a few seconds left, he tries to say the answer again, but the announcer is unable to understand him, and hangs up. The history buff stares sadly at his phone, whispering "Aaron Burr...!"
The ad fades out with a baritone voiceover asking "got milk?" as the tagline appears onscreen. [4]
Entertainment Weekly , in a 1997 list, named "Aaron Burr" as the 11th best commercial of all time. [7] The ad appeared in the 1999 Reader's Digest VHS compilation Laugh? I Thought I'd Die!. [8] In 2002, it was named one of the ten best commercials of all time by a USA Today poll. [2]
In 2002, nine years after its initial run, the "Aaron Burr" ad ran again in a nationwide television campaign, which was considered a rarity in the advertising industry. [2] At the 2009 Clio Awards ceremony, the ad was inducted into the Clio Awards Hall of Fame. [9] [10]
The ad was praised by Fast Company in 2018 as "an ad-world cultural touchstone... bold, original, never before attempted, and never successfully remastered." [4]
In the years that followed the airing of the "Aaron Burr" advertisement, parodies appeared in several television series and other media:
Aaron Burr Jr. was an American politician, businessman, lawyer, and Founding Father who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805 during Thomas Jefferson's first presidential term. He founded the Manhattan Company on September 1, 1799. Burr is remembered for his famous personal and political conflict with Alexander Hamilton, which culminated in the Burr–Hamilton duel in Weehawken, New Jersey, on July 11, 1804. Burr mortally wounded Hamilton, who died from his wounds the following day.
Cap'n Crunch is a corn and oat breakfast cereal manufactured since 1963 by Quaker Oats Company, a subsidiary of PepsiCo since 2001. Since the original product introduction, marketed simply as Cap'n Crunch, Quaker Oats has since introduced numerous flavors and seasonal variations, some for a limited time—and currently offers a Cap'n Crunch product line.
Snickers is a chocolate bar consisting of nougat topped with caramel and peanuts, all encased in milk chocolate. The bars are made by the American company Mars Inc. The annual global sales of Snickers is over $380 million, and it is widely considered the bestselling candy bar in the world.
M&M's are color-varied sugar-coated dragée chocolate confectionery, each of which has the letter "m" printed in lower case in white on one side, consisting of a candy shell surrounding a filling which varies depending upon the variety of M&M's. The original candy has a semi-sweet chocolate filling which, upon introduction of other variations, was branded as the "plain, normal" variety. Peanut M&M's, which feature a peanut coated in milk chocolate, and finally a candy shell, were the first variation to be introduced, and they remain a regular variety. Numerous other variations have been introduced, some of which are regular widespread varieties while others are limited in duration or geographic availability. M&M's are the flagship product of the Mars Wrigley Confectionery division of Mars, Incorporated.
Got Milk? is an American advertising campaign on television and YouTube encouraging the consumption of milk and dairy products. Created by the advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners for the California Milk Processor Board in 1993, it was later licensed for use by milk processors and dairy farmers. It was launched in 1993 by the "Aaron Burr" television commercial, directed by Michael Bay. The national campaign, run by MilkPEP began to add the "got milk?" logo to its "Milk Mustache" ads in 1995.
Mr. Peanut is the advertising logo and mascot of Planters, an American snack-food company owned by Hormel. He is depicted as an anthropomorphic peanut in its shell, wearing the formal clothing of an old-fashioned gentleman, with a top hat, monocle, white gloves, spats, and cane. He is reported of British heritage and has the proper name of Bartholomew Richard Fitzgerald-Smythe.
The J.M. Smucker Company, also known as Smuckers, is an American manufacturer of food and beverage products. Headquartered in Orrville, Ohio, the company was founded in 1897 as a maker of apple butter. J.M. Smucker currently has three major business units: consumer foods, pet foods, and coffee. Its flagship brand, Smucker's, produces fruit preserves, peanut butter, syrups, frozen crustless sandwiches, and ice cream toppings.
Butterfinger is a candy bar manufactured by the Ferrara Candy Company, a subsidiary of Ferrero. It consists of a layered crisp peanut butter core covered in a "chocolatey" coating. It was invented by Otto Schnering of the Curtiss Candy Company in 1923. A popularity contest chose the name.
Peter Pan is an American brand of peanut butter that is marketed by Post Consumer Brands, part of Post Holdings. Named after the J. M. Barrie character, the product was introduced by Swift & Company through its Derby Foods subsidiary, E.K. Pond Company. It was renamed "Peter Pan" in 1928. Introduced in 1988, the product sold in The United States.
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are an American candy by the Hershey Company consisting of a peanut butter filling encased in chocolate. They were created on November 15, 1928, by H. B. Reese, a former dairy farmer and shipping foreman for Milton S. Hershey. Reese was let go from his job with Hershey when the Round Barn which he managed was shut down for cost-saving measures. He subsequently decided to start his own candy business. Reese's are a top-selling candy brand worldwide, with $3.1 billion in annual sales.
A fluffernutter is a sandwich made with peanut butter and marshmallow creme usually served on white bread. Variations of the sandwich include the substitution of wheat bread and the addition of various sweet, salty, and savory ingredients. The term fluffernutter can also be used to describe other food items, primarily desserts, that incorporate peanut butter and marshmallow creme.
"Jared Has Aides" is the first episode of the sixth season of the adult American animated television series South Park, and the 80th episode of the series overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 6, 2002. In the episode, weight loss advocate and Subway spokesman Jared Fogle incurs the wrath of South Park after he announces that he lost weight because he has aides. This leads Cartman, Kyle and Stan to try to use Butters as their own advocate for City Wok. The episode also parodies the film Philadelphia.
The Burr–Hamilton duel took place in Weehawken, New Jersey, between Aaron Burr, the third U.S. vice president at the time, and Alexander Hamilton, the first and former Secretary of the Treasury, at dawn on July 11, 1804. The duel was the culmination of a bitter rivalry that had developed over years between both men, who were high-profile politicians in the newly-established United States, founded following the victorious American Revolution and its associated Revolutionary War.
Goodby, Silverstein & Partners is an advertising agency based in San Francisco.
A peanut butter and jelly sandwich (PB&J) consists of peanut butter and fruit preserves—jelly—spread on bread. The sandwich may be open-faced, made of a single slice of bread folded over, or made using two slices of bread. The sandwich is popular in the United States, especially among children; a 2002 survey showed the average American will eat 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before graduating from high school. There are many variations of the sandwich, starting with the basic peanut butter sandwich or jam sandwich.
Peanut Butter & Co. is a peanut butter brand based in New York City. Founded in 1998 by Lee Zalben, from 1998 to 2016, the company operated a sandwich shop in Greenwich Village, which sold gourmet peanut butter sandwiches for $5. The company by 1999 was selling a line of peanut butter to supermarkets featuring ten "all natural" flavors and from peanuts grown by farmers in the United States. In 2005 the company published The Peanut Butter & Co. Cookbook.
Jeff Goodby is an American advertising executive. He is among the co-founders and serves as co-chair of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco. Goodby is also a director and illustrator whose work has appeared in Time and Mother Jones.
"My Shot" is the third song from Act 1 of the musical Hamilton, based on the life of Alexander Hamilton, which premiered on Broadway in 2015. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote both the music and lyrics to the song.
"Ten Duel Commandments" is the fifteenth song from Act 1 of the musical Hamilton, based on the life of Alexander Hamilton, which premiered on Broadway in 2015. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote both the music and lyrics to the song.
Sean Whalen is an American actor and writer. He is known for his work in numerous TV shows, including Unfabulous and Lost, as well as movies, including The People Under the Stairs and Twister. He is also known for appearing as a hapless history buff in the first "Got Milk?" commercial, directed by Michael Bay, which aired in 1993.