Folgers Brings in a Choir for Some Goofy Takes on Its Classic Jingle

Mornings can straight-up suck. J.M. Smucker’s Folgers coffee wants to make those early hours less crappy. 

Such is the stuff of this silly, self-aware campaign, complete with reworked versions of the brand’s famous “Best Part of Waking Up” jingle. The lyrics are belted out by a seven-person choir known as the Folgers Morning Harmonizers, and focus on awkward in-law visits, crowded carpools and Dad-as-Santa, stuck in a chimney. 

The original ditty debuted during the Regan era and has been tweaked umpteen times, occasionally with celebrities handling vocal chores. (The Queen of Soul herself jammed for the java!) Leslie Pearl composed the music, with original lyrics by Susan Spiegel Solovay and Bill Vernick. 

First up in the new campaign, a young wife plans to join her husband in the shower. She disrobes, parts the curtain, and finds herself face to face with…

…her father-in-law. Puts a whole new spin on “best part,” right? (One of the choir guys is in there, too, singing his heart out. Heh.)

Next comes a wildly risky ride-share:

On the plus side, if they crash, that’s one less day at work.

Finally, in the spirit of the season, we’re told (in song) that “Dad insisted on playing the role…

… but now the kids are scared because he’s stuck in a hole.”

Yeah, dads are doofuses. Especially in commercials. Time to light those yule logs!

Publicis’ PSOne created the spots with Biscuit director Andreas Nilsson. The work seeks to “reinvigorate what is ownable to the brand’s DNA, yet do it in a modern, relatable way,” says J.M. Smucker consumer engagement and omnichannel marketing lead Liz Mayer. 

Toward that end, in addition to the updated song, PSOne decided that a perky choir, popping up mid-verse in unexpected places, was tantamount to creating “a new brand icon,” says PSOne creative chief Andy Bird. 

“We really challenged ourselves to push beyond classic morning clichés, like kid chaos or running late for work,” adds executive creative director Erica Roberts. “We wanted to lean into the unexpected, the stuff you’d never expect a red-satin-clad choir to sing about.” 

PSOne’s all about fresh takes on classic Smucker brand jingles these days. The agency just unveiled Meow Mix’s “meow meow meow meow” chorus in various musical styles. (Maybe the Folgers choir can cross-over for some mewing. They won’t even need a lyric sheet.) PSOne also crafted loopy spots featuring the apocalypse and a doofus Father Nature for Jif peanut butter and Smucker’s Natural fruit spread, respectively. 

“This campaign set out to be ridiculous, hilarious and wonderfully nostalgic at the same time,” says Bird of the ads for Folgers. “I hope we succeeded.”

Well, that father-in-law in the shower certainly seemed pleased.

CREDITS

Client: The J.M. Smucker Company
Brand: Folgers® Coffee

Campaign Title: The Folgers® Harmonizers
Agency: PSOne
Agency Location: New York

Chief Creative Officer: Andy Bird
Executive Creative Director: Erica Roberts
Assoc. Creative Director/Copy: Kelly Mahon
Assoc. Creative Director/Art: Kelly Saucier

Director of Integrated Production: Jenny Read
Executive Producer: Lauren Schneidmuller
Associate Producer Kathryn Lemke

Director of Business Affairs: Robin Oksenhendler
Business Manager: Deanna Gattie 

Group Account Director: Yuri Lee
VP, Account Director: Tabatha Roman
Account Executive: Nia Bolling

Strategy Director Jennifer Baldwin
Strategist Jessica Neira

Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Andreas Nilsson 
Partner / Managing Director: Shawn Lacy
Executive Producer: Holly Vega
UPM: Jay Veal
Head of Production: Mercedes Allen-Sarria, Rachel Glaub
Director of Photography: Larkin Seiple
Production Designer: Alexis Ross

Editorial Company: MackCut Editorial
Editor: Ryan Steele 
Assistant Editor: Devon Flint 
Executive Producer: Gina Pagano 

Music House: Pulse Music
Composer: Charles Humenry
Executive Producer: Dan Kuby
Producer: Miranda Grieco

Audio Post Production Company: Super Exploder 
Senior Sound Designer/Mixer: Jody Nazzaro 
VFX Company: The Mill NY
Producer: Alliah Mourad
Creative Director: Nathan Kane
Colorist: Fergus McCall
CG Artist: Cedric Mernard
2D Artists: Dhruv Shankar, Nasser Mandavi, Roger Cerqua, Yongjae Lee, Anton Anderson, Alexis Jo, Andrew Emmerson, James Cudahy, Blake Druery