Guy in a Piñata Hypes KeyBank

Great practical F/X pay off for Fallon

If you see humans stuffed inside piñatas, vending machines and dry-cleaning bags, never fear. They’re probably just bankers.

And they headline Fallon’s goofy campaign for KeyBank, designed to show the financial institution’s willingness to “meet you in the moment.”

Amusing. It’s no Skittles’ “Piñata,” but still.

“During the briefing for this campaign, KeyBank shared heartwarming, sometimes humorous but always very human client stories as inspiration for how their bankers go above and beyond,” Fallon creative director Melissa Hoke tells Muse. “From there it got us thinking, ‘Where does it stop? What other extremes would these bankers go to serve their customers?'”

For some, bankers everywhere might sound like a nightmare, no?

“This is true,” Hoke says. “Not everyone has had a great experience with the financial industry. And that’s why the execution of the campaign was so important—and why it’s so important that KeyBank shows how they’re different. These bankers have years-long relationships with their clients. They know when they’re being helpful, and they know when to see themselves out. This comes through in the work, where the bankers are never a huge surprise to their customers, and only stick around long enough to show off the level of service.”

Working remotely seems like such a great idea. Then, you wind up in a bag on a rack. Still, dude looks like he’s getting some job satisfaction.

“In the age of CGI and AI, and every other VFX acronym, it was very important to us to keep the effects as practical as possible,” Hoke says.

So, in addition to vending-banker delivering lines pressed up against a glass window, “We built a real, motorized dry-cleaner rig that could hold a grown man,” Hoke recalls. “We actually put someone in a piñata. We believe keeping as much real as possible is always great for humor, but especially in this case, it also kept things feeling human.”

Surprisingly, the piñata man emerged as the easiest shoot of all.

“We were ready for a long day, but had all the stunts worked out in advance,” Hoke says. “And believe it or not, it only took two takes. We used the second one. Done.”

Benji Weinstein of Smuggler directed, with 30-, 15- and 5-second edits breaking across TV and digital platforms today.