If a man buys all the hammers in a hardware store, is it still a hardware store? This is the bizarre set up of a new spot for Barclaycard from Droga5 London, which begins with some rather pedestrian messaging about how small businesses should rethink what payments can do for them, before spinning off into far more unpredictable territory.

This salesy message opens the ad – neatly appearing, complete with a logo, in the five seconds before the ‘skip ad’ button will kick in – before the business owner presenting it finds herself engaged in a far more intriguing conversation with a customer.

The amusing spot is an example of how a clever bit of writing, complete with Low’s masterful touch for comic understatement, can turn a potentially rather dull piece of messaging into something you might want to share.

Credits:
Agency: Droga5 London
CCO: David Kolbusz
ECD: Shelley Smoler
Group Creative Director: Raph Basckin
Creatives: Chris Russell, Ahmed Ellabib
Director: Jeff Low
Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks