Scene-Stealing Golf-Gator Fits Comcast Business to a Tee

Remember the gopher in Caddyshack? Well, the Comcast Business alligator is nothing like that.

The furry critter from that 1980 golf-course comedy classic was bent on mayhem. The gator that splashes around in a campaign from Goodby Silverstein & Partners is more of a teammate.

We learn this in the :60 below. It’s the centerpiece of a campaign dubbed “Powering Possibilities” and features PGA star Collin Morikawa and his caddy, JJ (Jonathan Jakovac). 

While the gator chews scenery, special guest Christopher McDonald (a links legend of sorts, as he starred in Happy Gilmore) memorably munches French fries. NBC sports commentators Mike Tirico and Dan Hicks commentate for all they’re worth.

Breaking today, the work was directed by Traktor and ties in with The Players Championship, which starts tomorrow, with Comcast Business as a sponsor.

“The spot is a cleverly disguised tour of all the Comcast Business technology solutions that help power The Players experience,” CMO Eileen Diskin tells Muse. “From hospitality tents, payment systems, game analytics and the television broadcast—Comcast Business is the backbone that keeps it all running.”

“The challenge was to package that message in an entertaining, attention getting way worthy of an industry leader and worthy of the game,” she says.

Best of all, that’s a real alligator. Right?

“We wish we could say we shot with a reptile wrangler and a trained gator,” says GSP creative director Chad Leitz. “But it was actually the talented puppeteers from Legacy. They had an existing gator head and torso that could be maneuvered in frighteningly realistic ways.”

He recalls: “It took Legacy some practice to make the gator puppet toss the golf ball from its mouth, but eventually they had it down. Donning wetsuits, they submerged themselves in a water hazard on a Mexico City golf course, worked their magic, and we got the shot.”

Look for other cameos in there too, along with :30s and :15s across various platforms.