Xfinity Says: Keep Those Must-See Streams Alive

If your internet service suddenly goes on the blink, you and your pals gathered to watch live sports or other must-see events could wind up spending some uncomfortable time together.

You might be subjected to a creepy ventriloquist act. Or forced to play stupid party games. What if your buddy decides to show off his mole that resembles Abraham Lincoln? He’ll shove it right in your face!

Comcast’s Xfinity positions its 10G network as your streaming savior in silly spots from Goodby Silverstein & Partners and director Harold Einstein:

Yeah, friends are real jerks sometimes.

Once again, Einstein displays his genius with comic vignettes. He’s in fine form this week here and for Planters, delivering pithy punches that consistently land. These are big, conservative marketers, but Einstein infuses the films with some challenger-brand energy.

So, any glamorous tales from the set?

“Our great prop stylist created about two-dozen Abe Lincoln moles of varying hair lengths, sizes, shades and facial compositions,” recalls GSP creative director Jon Wolanske. “Some had a bigger nose, some had a bushier beard—you name it. I don’t think any of us were prepared to see that number of gross hairy mole options, nor on the belly of our actor, Michael Blaiklock.”

Good anecdote. Please, share another.

“The other actor in that spot, Matt Pierce, insisted on eating the chili without a spit bucket,” Wolanske says. “He ate every bite, every take, in maybe the most committed form of method acting I can recall seeing in a long time. I don’t even think the chili was warm. Which kind of makes the moment even more awkward, in hindsight.”

The campaign, dubbed “Between the Streams,” broke during the NFL playoffs and will continue across TV and digital platforms.