BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA – Talking Monkey

christian sternal

creative director | copywriter

We always found a way to do good work for the boys in spite of them only ever having a fraction of the budget we had for any other client. But that was OK. Made it a good challenge. We just had to keep things simple and think around the production hurdles. They appreciated our determination, and we appreciated them appreciating our determination.

Very Prepared

Scouts learn hundreds of skills and valuable life lessons while scouting. All of which will make them better prepared than most to survive, say, an extinction level asteroid event. Catastrophic anthropogenic climate change. Or, you know, getting lost in the woods. In the end, there may just be cockroaches, bits of Styrofoam and Boy Scouts left.

“Only the strongest, most resilient creatures will survive.”

That Voice [Expand]

We wanted to take some of the dystopian “yikes” out of this spot, so we asked singing cowboy and Disney narrator, Rex Allen to be the voiceover. He help us dial right in to a casual, good-natured sweet-spot.

Cockroach Wrangling

We worked with a professional bug wrangler and giant Madagascar hissing cockroaches for this spot. And, yes, they really do hiss.

The "Badges" Campaign

An out-of-home series that featured actual badges that scouts can earn. The campaign was iconic, popped in OOH environments and garnered a lot of attention from future scouts, parents and award show judges.

Belding Awards - Bowl

Belding Awards
Bowl Winner
“Catching A Fish”
2002-03

Belding Awards - Finalist

Belding Awards
Finalist
Campaign
2002-03

ADDYs - Silver x 3

ADDYs, National
Silver, Silver, Silver
Campaign, “Catching A Fish,” “Cockroach”
20042

ADDYs - Gold x 3

ADDYs, OC
Gold, Gold, Gold
Campaign, “Catching A Fish,” “Dr. Boy Scout”
20042

Yard Signage With A Reveal

Our client mainly recruited in and around Orange County, CA—an area well-known for its nice, tidy, vanilla neighborhoods. So we asked their members to rattle OC’s cage a little bit by displaying cryptic and even (gasp) provocative signage on their front lawns. Then, after a week, they were instructed to turn the signs around to reveal the full recruitment message.

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