Mailchimp Unveils Playful Spots Directed by Eric Wareheim

“What kind of business are you? A startup? Nah, you’re about to blow up. Yeah, you’re way more than a small business.”

E-mail marketer Mailchimp offers an empowering, slightly askew take on SMBs in ads directed Eric Wareheim of Adult Swim’s Tim and Eric comedy team. They feature upbeat “you-got-this” narration by High on the Hog’s Stephen Satterfield, and an anthem film introduces five faux SMBs aiming for the big time, with Mailchimp as their trusted ally.

Those purveyors of unicorn/duck pool floats, high-tech doggie toys and heavy metal yoga seem almost … real. They wouldn’t feel out of place in Facebook’s small-biz pitch from a few months back, which focused on quirky startups that actually exist.

Here, the fake nature of the firms gives Mailchimp some space to maneuver, imbuing the work with a lighter touch than we’ve recently seen in the category. It’s a refreshing approach, providing a counterpoint to more intense SMB-themed fare, such as this Mailchimp-Vimeo collaboration about the struggle of real Black-owned businesses.

“‘More than a Small Business’ speaks directly to the entrepreneurs and marketers around the world that Mailchimp aims to serve,” says Jeremy Jones, the company’s global director of creative campaigns. “These spots were crafted to help show that business owners and marketers are so much more than their small-business label. They’re carrying on family traditions, inspiring new trends, disrupting markets and so much more. We’re looking to boost their business and their confidence and want them to know that we get them as people and customers.”

With that goal in mind, Wareheim wisely works at the edges of funny to evoke a pre/post-pandemic mood. His frames entertain and intrigue, with whimsical visuals (many pink dim-sum carts, please!) and Satterfield’s knowingly nonchalant narration.

“Eric is just the right balance of expert and absurdist and knows exactly what it means to be a small business,” Jones says. “It’s real for him. Besides being an amazing actor and director, he’s also a small-business owner and coincidentally a Mailchimp customer with his company Las Jaras Wine.”

Other campaign elements amplify the message:

The push arrives as a pivotal moment for Mailchimp, with Intuit agreeing to acquire the company this week.

“The Mailchimp brand will remain the Mailchimp brand” once the deal closes, Jones says. “Mailchimp’s brand equity is important to Intuit, which also shares Mailchimp’s mission of empowering small businesses and helping them win.”

CREDITS

Katie Potochney – Sr. Director, Brand and Marketing Design
Jeremy Jones – Lead Creative Director – Campaigns
Amber Worrell – Associate Creative Director – Art
Matt Shoemake – Associate Creative Director – Copy
Matt Mattingly – Executive Producer (Hone Production)
Heather Bell – Creative Program Manager (Hone Production)
Laura Rea – Executive Producer (Hone Production)
Taylor Wiatt – Senior Producer
Christian Widlic – Lead Creative Director – Design
Erica Bech – Design Lead
James Abercrombie – Senior Designer
Carly Aiken – Designer
Peter Kehr – Designer
Katharine Sison – Designer
Tom Hoying – Senior Motion Designer
Dean Funk – Motion Designer
Kristie Feltner – Senior Designer
Alex Miller – Designer
Gene Lee – Chief Experience Officer
Tom Klein- Chief Marketing Officer
Mark DiCristina – VP of Brand
Michael Mitchell – Sr. Director of Brand
Allison Sitzman – Sr. Director of Product Marketing
Chris Drago – Sr. Director of Paid Media and Advertising
Stephanie James – Sr. Director of Integrated Marketing
Marissa Prince – Director of Integrated Marketing
René Hallock – Sr. Manager of Marketing, Campaigns
Lindsey Sherwood – Marketing Associate
Mindy Blankenship – Senior Project Manager

Production
Prettybird – Production Company
Eric Wareheim – Director
Toby Irwin – Director of Photography
Ali Brown – President
Rika Osenberg – Head of Production
Jeff Tanner – Producer
The Lift CDMX – Service Company

Post Production
Maury Loeb – Editor – PS260
Colin Reilly – Editor – PS260
Ned Borgman – Editor – PS260
Laura Patterson – Executive Producer – PS260
Evann Payne – Senior Producer – PS260
Sean Coleman – Colorist – Co3
Erich Netherton – Mix/Sound Designer – Co3
Heather Keister – Flame Artist – Co3/Method
Kenny Sloat – Producer – Co3/Method
Matt Moran – Producer – Co3/Method

Radio
Gopal Swamy – Audio Engineer/Sound Designer (Accoustech Music)
Matt Joyner – Executive Producer (Hone Production)