Traktor on Perfecting the Art of the Spoof for Tide

In strict sports terms, Philadelphia Eagles might have won the Super Bowl LII, but when it comes to the advertising, there's a common consensus that Tide's audacious campaign, It's a Tide Ad, has scooped the commercials crown.

Below, we caught up with Traktor, the directing collective behind the spots, to find out more about the art of the spoof.

We can't imagine any director says no to a Super Bowl script, but what was it in particular about the Tide job which appealed? Had you worked with the Saatchi & Saatchi NY creative team before? Tell us a bit about how and when you got involved.

We truly enjoyed working with Saatchi & Saatchi on last year's Super Bowl spot for Tide. When we heard from them again this year, we thought the core idea was jaw-droppingly good, yet very simple at the core. The clean clothes in all the commercials make them all Tide Ads. The idea is almost too smart and simple to exist. But it does. Or maybe it's just a TideAd?

'Meta' Super Bowl commercials, which poke fun at Super Bowl advertising tropes, have been done in the past but not quite as successfully or memorably - how did you go about making the concept feel fresh and impactful?

The trick was maybe to have enough reverence for each commercial genre to get each of them right. We spent a lot of time with Hoyte Van Hoytema, our DP to get the right tonality for each genre and when he found some old soft-filters from deep in a drawer, we knew we were up for the task. There needed to be something "proper" for David Harbour to disrupt, and for the hijacking to have some impact.

What sort of time frame were you operating to from receiving the scripts to delivering the final spots?

We got the scripts before Christmas, shot it in January and it was in post until hours before the deadline. Crazy, but good crazy. Merry Christmas by the way!

The first 45' spot teased the idea and set the scene, how did you ensure that it grabbed viewers' attention but also didn't give too much away?

We shot more scenes than we needed for the 45" so we could find the balance between letting the spot breathe, and loading it up with gags. It was a fine balance as to WHEN to "pull the rug" after leading the viewer down the wrong path, and we hope that we pulled it at the right time. In the end the breathing beat the loading, like in life.

The spoof ads include Old Spice, Mr Clean and Budweiser. How familiar were you with the original ads and which was your favourite one to spoof?

The medication advert on a Tennis court was a treat. The other spots and genres we were relatively familiar with, but obviously went deeper in preparation for this challenge.

We heard that there were some spots which didn't make it into the final cut - what can you tell us about them?

We could, but then you'd feel too safe when you watch television next. You never know when they might show up. In fact, some people on Twitter speculated that the current presidency is actually a Tide Ad. Let's hope they are right!

David Harbour [Stranger Things' Jim Hopper] brings just the right amount of deadpan humour without overplaying it, how involved were you in the casting process and what was he like to work with?

He has a great sense of humour, and the requisite blend of edge, warmth and mischief. We can't imagine anyone else fitting the bill (and the clean clothes) quite so well.

The Tide ads have already garnered public popularity and industry acclaim, including being awarded a Super Clio - did you expect this level of success?

You never know with these things. Never. All you can do is care tremendously when you put it together, then pretend not to care when it's a hit. Although we tend to fail with the latter!

Did you stay up and watch the ads live?

They were on at 3pm in LA. We had just woken up. Then we stayed up late. Who has the receipts?