Published: Saturday, February 05, 2011, 3:22 AM
The Capital One Visigoths – you know, Garth and ‘em – have come to New Orleans.
We’ve seen worse.
And no, they’re not Vikings.
The marauding barbarians are on a long American road trip made possible – nay, affordable and pleasurable — by the benefit features of the fine credit card they carry.
Their itinerary so far has taken them to the Grand Canyon, Los Angeles (for shopping on Rodeo Drive, a yoga class and a film-studio tour) and Las Vegas.
In New Orleans, the gang masks at a ball, rigs a catapult for bead-tossing, and jams with our own Deacon John Moore.
The commercial will surely run during some of the dozens of hours of sports programming airing today on various networks, including Fox’s pregame, though probably not during the Super Bowl itself, according to a Capital One spokeswoman.
But the timing seems right to pause – on this secular national holiday devoted to the consumption of salty snacks, carbonated beverages and, above all, TV commercials – and salute the spot that’s shining a national spotlight on the city.
The Visigoths were a Germanic menace to the Roman Empire in the fourth century, then migrated to menace Italy, Gaul and Spain during the fifth, sixth and into the seventh.
They’ve been players in Capital One’s advertising since 2001, migrating in purpose as their real-life role models migrated for menace.
Early, they represented potential high interest rates and fees charged by competing credit cards. Lately, they’re on the road toting Capital One’s Venture Card. They have their own Facebook page and a presence on YouTube, though the New Orleans commercial, filmed here in the fall, isn’t posted there yet.
“New Orleans represented so much of what we wanted to convey, which is vibrancy, excitement, heritage,” said Marc Mentry, Capital One managing vice president of advertising. “There are strategic things in the ad that really also speak to how people view New Orleans. ‘I go with friends.’ ‘I go with family.’ ‘I go to Jazzfest.’ ‘I go for Mardi Gras.’ ‘I go for the restaurants’ — all of those things that are part of New Orleans and are part of what we’re trying to convey about the Venture Card. ‘Go with others, use this card, earn (rewards) faster.’
“It’s a perfect fit with a place we’re passionate about and are a part of. It speaks instantly to consumers as, ‘Yep, that’s a place I want to be a part of.’”
Two iconic scenes ended up on the cutting-room floor, Mentry said. One was shot at Café du Monde that involved a powdered-sugar catastrophe. The other was an encounter with spicy cuisine at Arnaud’s.
“We had more fun material with the city than we could fit in a 30-second spot,” he said. “It was a great experience.”
As it was for Moore, who’s been featured in national commercials before. He landed this one via audition.
“It’s a crapshoot,” he said. “You do the audition and hope you get a call back. Then they don’t call you. The thing about being in that business, you have to be able to handle rejection. If you don’t get it, there’s another one coming along, just like streetcars.”
This time, he caught a ride on the Visigoth road trip.
“They just liked the way I said, ‘What’s in your wallet?’” he said.
In fact, the spot’s catch phrase has become part of Moore’s life in New Orleans.
“Everywhere I go, if I’m on a gig, everybody asks me what’s in my wallet,” he said, adding that he answers from the bandstand by calling for Barrett Strong’s “Money.” “It’s part of my act now. I’ll never live it down!”
Moore said the highlight of the shoot was witnessing diva-like behavior by one of the cast’s goats, who was ultimately sacked in favor of an understudy.
“I love the work,” Moore said. “There’s nothing to carry. No amplifiers, no speakers. You show up and everybody pampers you. You get your wardrobe, get your hair done. They come and pick you up and drive you around and feed you all day long.
“You feel like a star.”
