The making of the amazing Panhandle Golf Disaster commercial
One of the most popular commercials Wheelhouse Creative LLC ever produced is known in-house as simply “the Panhandle golf commercial.”
Yet there was nothing simple about the construction of the fun 30-second spot for Panhandle Cleaning & Restoration, a company that deals with serious issues like water and fire restoration; mold removal; storm cleanup; and hazard, cleaning, and construction services.
The commercial incorporates Panhandle’s support of West Virginia University by featuring golf coach Sean Covich, who drives a ball off a tee that finds its way bouncing around and through a nice house before landing on the green and into the cup.
It’s not only a commercial that captures the viewer’s attention, but also stands the test of time for maximum commercial visibility.
“The Panhandle golf commercial came about because Panhandle has an agreement with the WVU golf coach,” said Wheelhouse creative director Joe Monahan. “When Panhandle came to us, they knew the concept needed to revolve around golf, but they didn’t know what it should be or look like, so they left it to us to come up with something.
“Obviously, Panhandle deals with disasters in your home or business, so we had to tie this somehow to golf. Well, Panhandle had been purchasing pre-made home disaster videos for years and adding their logo and jingle to the end. They wanted something along those lines. What struck me about all the pre-made disaster videos was there was no customization other than the logo. Anyone could slap a logo on the end, and it could be their commercial as well. Ours needed to uniquely belong to Panhandle.”
Wheelhouse Creative’s staff not only likes challenges but creates them within to benefit our clients. We take pride in standing out. Monahan explained the evolution of this commercial.
“The brainstorm went something like this,” he said, “golf balls can be destructive if one is a bad golfer. Well, nah, the WVU golf coach is not going to want to be portrayed as a bad golfer. Ok, so what if he causes devastation with a perfectly placed hit? He could make a hole in one – after the ball leaves a path of destruction.
“It could tear up the golf course, which is fine, but Panhandle doesn’t repair or restore golf courses. It could destroy a nearby car. Again, though, they don’t repair cars.
“Ah, but some people have houses on or near golf courses. Eureka! He hits a ball; the ball hits a house; it plows through it causing all kind of damage before exiting; it lands back on the golf course and rolls into the hole.
“To make it more fun, when he hits the ball, it flies at mach speeds, destroys the house, and lands back at the golf course like an asteroid hitting the ground. To customize it, we added (Panhandle founder) Bob Contraguerro, Sr., in the middle of the destruction reading a newspaper. Perfect! Time for the pitch.
“Two shoots and hours of post-production later… the Panhandle Golf Disaster ad was released.”
It is a work of which to be proud. And if your company would like to experience the same kind of excellence to help grow, call us at 304-905-6005 today!
