How to Make People Give a Shit About a Napkin

WNW Member Jeff Scardino is keeping napkins cool with the latest "How Lovely" campaign for Vanity Fair napkins. As Jeff points out, it's no easy task. "No one uses napkins anymore. Especially younger people who just rip off a paper towel. So how do you make people give a shit about a napkin?" It's a good question, and the answer is politely posited with a collection of humorous ads, showcasing "that you can offset an uncivilized act as long as you follow said act with a napkin dab. Since Vanity Fair napkins are nicer quality, we really played off the proper nature of using one."

WNW Members Cerra Buckholz, Jordan Chouteau, and Joe Ventura were also instrumental in making the campaign a reality. Jeff also extends some recognition to Vanity Fair's willingness to get a little weird. "It was the first work we’ve done for the client so trust needed to be established. Give them a lot of credit for ultimately allowing us to make work that made them feel uncomfortable at first."

Can you share a little insight into the concept behind your latest work for Vanity Fair napkins?

No one uses napkins anymore. Especially younger people who just rip off a paper towel. So how do you make people give a shit about a napkin?

We decided to tap into human nature and how our instincts get the best of us a lot of the time when we eat. The “How Lovely” campaign showcases that you can offset an uncivilized act as long as you follow said act with a napkin dab. Since Vanity Fair napkins are nicer quality, we really played off the proper nature of using one.

How did the team come together?

Shout out and thanks to (WNW Members) Joe Ventura, Cerra Buckholz and Jordan Chouteau. They helped with some of the early concepting that allowed us later to sell this direction to the client. Then Scott Vitrone and I blew out the campaign across all channels. A lot more is in the works.

Any challenges or surprises in pulling everything together?

The humor and the structure of the spots are a bit nuanced. They don’t feel like commercials. So it created some difficulty in getting work through. We went through a lot of rounds of scripts and did a lot of convincing. It was also the first work we’ve done for the client so trust needed to be established. Give them a lot of credit for ultimately allowing us to make work that made them feel uncomfortable at first.

Were there any outtakes or unused ideas that took the gross-out eating habits a bit too far?

Our wing guy definitely struggled with taking down consecutive wings so we had to adjust how we imagined the spot. But our editor did a great job of saving it. Arguably turned out better.

We did present a few scripts that took it a bit too far for the clients. Like a guy getting caught by his wife in the middle of the night eating a whole turkey with his hands.

Were there particular sources of inspiration with this campaign? Who are you comedic influences in general?

Woody Allen. His genuine and relatable approach to humor really gave us inspiration for our characters and scenarios.