The greatest ad hits from Pete Favat as Deutsch LA creative chairman retires
As the Deutsch LA creative chairman announces retirement, here's a look back at some of his most memorable campaigns.
Hollif
When the team at Arnold presented the campaign idea, Favat remembers telling the client, “You’re spending $600,000 to produce a spot with a mom and a kid in a kitchen. You cannot own a kitchen or a mom or a little kid, even if you had 30 bajillion dollars. But you can own this bog and the farmers. Nobody can touch that. Coca-Cola doesn’t have a bog.”
For Progressive, the team at Arnold imagined Flo in a fantasy supermarket scenario, reminiscent of films like “Heaven Can Wait” and “Bruce Almighty" set against a clean white backdrop. “If Flo wasn't wacky, and we didn't cast an improv actress [Stephanie Courtney] who was real edgy, it would have failed,” Favat said.
You got promoted!
Favat built a reputation for bringing heart to the job. Throughout his career, whenever he promoted a member of his team, he would send a thank you letter to their parents. “I always write that you should feel proud of yourself because you gave birth to a talented baby," he said. "They’re born with talent, but you learn respect for other people and you learn work ethic, so in some ways, you [the parents] got promoted today too.”
