Unilever promoted Vim as a shower cleaning product in a gripping drama of an ad, set in what appears to be a prison. Vim Prisoner starts with a girl in school uniform visiting her mum, each on different sides of the glass in what appears to be a prison (Mum’s wearing an orange jumpsuit). They hold their hands up to the glass. “How long will you be in there?” “I have to go now”. The camera pans back and we see they’ve been talking through the shower screen in a bathroom. Mum’s cleaning the bath with a generic cleaning liquid. We’re told that Vim (Jif) will speed up cleaning jobs.
Click on the image below to play the video.
Apparently sales for Vim sped up in Canada the week after the ad was shown there. It’s been shown in Australia for Lever Rexona’s local equivalent, Jif. It certainly has the attention of my family! The ad picks up on the feeling many women have – of being imprisoned by cleaning tasks.
Credits
The Prisoner ad was developed at Zig Canada by creative directors Elspeth Lynn and Lorraine Tao, art director Stephen Leps, copywriter Aaron Stockman, and agency producer Janet Woods.
Filming was shot by directing team The Perlorian Brothers via Reginald Pike. Editor was Michelle Czukar at Panic & Bob.
Sound and music were produced by Ted Rosnick at RMW Music.
The ad won a Gold Lion award for household goods at the Cannes festival last year.
This is a real tear-jerker of an ad. The mother’s voice really tears at your heart! At last somebody has embodied the fact that doing housework is equivalent to doing time. Many of us feel this way!
Amen to the comment above !
This is a very First Class Commercial that
legitimately catches the feeling when doing this chore !!