Jessica Williams Climbs Into a Bathtub for CarMax

Used-vehicle retailers have been pumping the pedal on celebrity-driven humor in a big way. Carvana’s campaign with Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell is one example.

Now, CarMax enters the fray, with Jessica Williams cracking wise in a bathtub as part of a broader initiative that breaks today.

Such efforts provide a few laughs and spotlight the ways each brand tries to make the buying experience run smoothly.

Williams—an Emmy nominee for Shrinking and fave from The Daily Show—lathers up in :60 from The Martin Agency. She does so in a home-goods showroom, much to the staff’s consternation:

“CarMax has test drives,” she says. “You can’t have test baths?” Later, she bemoans the “market prices” displayed on a fancy menu, and requests a 30-day money-back guarantee at the tattoo parlor.

Why oh why can’t the whole world be like CarMax? WHY!? (Srsly, the stock’s been racing these days.)

Here are more silly scenarios, sans Jessica:

“There are so many things in life we have to settle for—from shoes that pinch our feet to a living room paint color that’s just slightly too yellow,” Martin Agency SVP, group CD Anne Marie Hite tells Muse. “CarMax wants you to know that you don’t have to settle when it comes to finding true car love, which is especially important when you consider it’s the second-largest purchase most people make in their lives.”

To sell that premise, Williams seems well cast as an appealing but no-nonsense every-gal, and the spots are amusing without going OTT to make their point.

“Jessica was in the tub for about two hours and she was ad-libbing the whole time between takes and we were all dying in the video village,” Hite recalls. “Also, there was this guy whose one job on set was to make sure the bubbles looked good. Who knew that was an actual job!”

In the “Drop Off” commercial, “director Jody Hill let the mom run with her dialogue about all the things she could do now that she’s an empty nester. She went crazy and we were, again, all dying. As a new empty nester myself, I can very much relate,” Hite says.

“It’s such a weird time when you’re so sad your children are gone, but you’re also like, OMG, I have all this time to finally do some things for myself! I can’t say I’m pole dancing, but I am taking French and learning pickleball.”

CREDITS

THE MARTIN AGENCY
Lindsey Netto , VP, Group Account Director 
Caroline Rudzinski, Account Director 
Claire Jones​, Senior Project Manager 
Brittney Woods​, Account Executive
Anne Marie Hite​, SVP, Group Creative Director
Jerry Hoak, Executive Creative Director
Lindsey King​, Creative Director
Madeline Guzzo​, Senior Art Director
Stephanie Vicari, Senior Copywriter
Robyn Makinson, Design Director
Jenni Renas, Designer
Katie Morgan, Content Producer
Heather Collier, Executive Content Producer 
Anna Gilliam​, Associate Print and Product Producer 
Allison Farrell, Art Director 
Nia Shima-Franklin​, Copywriter 
Ali Chastain, Strategic Planning Director 
Allie Ballard, Senior Strategic Planner 
Lexi Magenheim, Strategic Planner
Taylor McKee​, Communications Planning Director 
Alex Angert, Associate Director, PR
Jasmine Lubin, Specialist, PR
Lauren Brennan, VP, Head of PR
Analiese Kern, Associate Director, Influencer Partnerships
Jake Rosenblatt​, Director, Influencer Partnerships
Julia Seng-Sourinho, Senior Social Strategist
Suzanne Wieringo, Associate Director, Business Affairs
Kelly Clow, Associate Director, Financial Affairs
Debbie Douglas​, Broadcast Traffic Director

CARMAX
Vice President, Creative Yujin Heo
Director, Brand Experience Strategy Jaryn Creasy
Creative Director Malissa Mackenzie
Creative Director, Social Jessie Kantor
Sr Manager, Marketing Operation Chloe Bos
Manager, Marketing Operations Agency Management Alice Chambers

SUPERJOY (Editorial + Finish)
Head of Production Kerry Ayers
Senior Producer Chris Frendo
Senior Producer Katherine Leatherwood
Editor Tiffany Burchard
Asst Editor: Tony Schaffner and Will Rummell
Flame Artist: Paul Wiederfold, Ben Fox, Armando DeMarchi

CAVIAR (Production)
Director Jody Hill
Director of Photography: Kira Kelly
EP Tova Dann
Head of Production Cat Craven-Griffiths
Line Producer Maggie McLean

TINY LION (Music)
Jonathan Fuller
Amanda Patterson
Andrew Everding

OVERCOAST (Sound Design)
Producer: Travis Tucker 
Sound Designer: Alec Chojnacki and Jonathan Waller

ROYAL MUSTER (Color)
Colorist: Roslyn Di Sisto
Producer: Mathew Fulton