Gov. Doug Ducey previewed a new public service announcement with a hot dog floating in the sky with a mask. Arizona Republic
Want a mask to go with that hot dog?
If that seems like a strange question, then you must not have seen the new ad Gov. Doug Ducey unveiled Thursday.
If you did see it, that might not be the only question you have.
Huh? That’s one I had.
During his weekly COVID-19 media briefing, Ducey showed new ads meant to remind people of the importance of wearing a mask, a couple of which play off fans’ desire for the return of sports.
One — “Join Arizona’s Maskots” — shows Sparky the Sun Devil and the Suns Gorilla and other mascots for professional and college teams in the Arizona wearing masks based on the state flag. Kind of cute, appeals to the fan in all of us, all that.
The other? It’s a little … different.
An expert walks us through the hot dog parachuting
As you hear the crack of a baseball bat and fans cheering, a ballpark organ plays the “Charge!” song. Then a hot dog in a container begins to float down into view, dressed with mustard. As it continues, you see it’s floating because it’s supported by a mask, which is being used as a parachute. Then you see the words, "Save live sports/wear a mask" and then, "Beat COVID/wear a mask."
I don’t get it.
Is the idea that you get a mask when you buy a hot dog? That seems strange — you’d have to take it off to eat. Is this how they plan to deliver food at games when fans return? Cool!
Turns out I was overthinking it. Tom Ortega, a partner and the chief creative officer for Riester, the agency that created the ad (called “Let’s land safely”), graciously walked me through it.
“We turned the mask into a parachute to show how wearing a mask can help us bring back the things that we love,” he said.
Oh.
I still don’t get it.
'It's a very simple message'
“By wearing that mask we can bring it all back,” Ortega, a friendly, patient sort, said. “We can go back to enjoying those things.”
All right, now I’m coming around a bit. The idea is that seeing the hot dog and hearing the music puts you in mind of being at a baseball game. Seeing the mask makes you think of ... wearing a mask. To get one (the return to games) you have to do the other (wear a mask).
“It’s a very simple message,” Ortega said. “And it’s a very simple visual.”
Obviously the key is the ubiquity of the mask during the pandemic. Without that, the spot would seem like absurdist art or something. Imagine if you'd seen this in, say, February. You’d be flummoxed.
Even more than I was.
“It also helps it’s a very friendly visual,” Ortega said. “You can’t help but smile when you see it. It is kind of a surprise in the video when it comes floating down.”
Agreed on that front.
Riester will have future ads with masks centered around other pursuits, like concerts and the arts.
“It’s definitely a reminder that if we want to see these things come back, we all have to participate in this,” Ortega said. “We all have to put masks on to go back to a life what we fully enjoyed.”
If that takes parachuting hot dogs with masks, I’m all for it.
Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. Twitter: @goodyk.
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Yes, that really was a parachuting hot dog in Doug Ducey's COVID-19 briefing - AZCentral
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