Duracell Warns Fantasy Drafters about the Dangers of Depleted Batteries

Question: “Does anyone want to make a fantasy football league?”

First Response: “No, I have one going at work.”

Second Response: “NOOO! (via a Michael Scott .gif)

Third Response: “Sure. I’m down.”

Me: “Fantasy football is for losers and guys who can’t get laid – oh, wait, gotta’ go! My Dungeons & Dragons* group has just pulled in. They’re picking me up in the minivan. Bye!”

That is a typical dialogue when my friend asks about playing fantasy football every year. Please note, I’m not making fun of Fantasy Football and those who play it, but I’ve never understood the appeal of it. I’d rather be a druid fighting a Basilisk when it comes to fantasy! However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t good fodder for brand advertising as Duracell proved with Fantasy Draft.

The latest installment in its “Trust is Power” campaign, Duracell’s “Fantasy Draft” ad from Wieden+Kennedy New York showed us what could happen when you don’t use coppertop batteries (such as Duracell’s). In the ad, a Joe-Schmo’s computer mouse dies mid-draft and the computer auto drafts a kicker in the seventh round—thus making his fantasy hopes go kablooey. It’s a short and concise ad that wonderfully plays off the absurdity of the activity, while also using subtle fear mongering of what could happen when bigger tasks go haywire.

Some Good

The ad drafted a franchise player with these picks…

1. Absurdity of Fantasy Football – I don’t mean to knock the activity. I know a lot of people who participate, but I’ve never understood it and the ad touched on why I don’t. It’s silly. Yes, money is involved (gambling), but it’s kind of harebrained and people get way too worked up on it. The direction by Matt Aselton and the way the actor portrayed his maddening melancholy was the perfect representation.

2. Montage – Montages can make or break films or ads, but this was amusing and made me feel for the poor fella’. The NFL season can be long with a losing team (the Cleveland Browns** are my hometown team) and “Fantasy Draft” caught the long, winding road of a bad sports team with humorous images such as the man depressingly watching his laundry spin, chastising himself as he takes his dog out and frosting a frown on a gingerbread man.

3. Justin Tucker – Dude is a good kicker. If you’re going to accidentally draft a kicker, then he is the one to draft. As of last season he is the most accurate kicker in NFL history, kicking three 50+ yard field goals in one half and tied for most 50+ yard field goals in one season, just to name a few of his records.

4. Subtle Fear Mongering – The ad used Fantasy Football going haywire as a reason to use trustful batteries, but if you look between the hash marks, you can see how bigger, more important tasks can go bonkers when you don’t have the right batteries. It was subtle fear mongering, but effective.

Some Bad

The ad missed a potential game winner on this…

1. Absurdity of Fantasy Football – This isn’t really a fault with the ad, but more so with society. If you get that worked up over Fantasy Football then you might have some issues. There are BIGGER things to lose sleep over.

The Takeaway

By making fun of an activity that relies on batteries to showing the potential of bigger “uh ohs” that could happen via subtle fear mongering, Duracell and Wieden & Kennedy New York kicked a 60+ yard game winner with “Fantasy Draft”.

*I’m not making fun of Dungeons and Dragons. I am an avid D&D player. No joke.

**On 9/20/2018 the Cleveland Browns won, snapping a 19 game losing streak! It only took 635 days!