Is Robert Goulet messing with your stuff?

Every once in a while, I’ll see an ad, hear a commercial or read a brochure, and comment, “I wish I had done that.” The Super Bowl ad for Emerald Nuts continues to be one of those for me.

In this TV spot, a group of office workers get the afternoon blahs around 3 o’clock. As they doze off at their desks, a mischievous Robert Goulet drops in and starts eating memos, shredding important papers and pouring coffee on computer keyboards. He has the run of the office until he encounters a guy who’s munching on Emerald Nuts to sustain his energy. By doing so, he’s prevented Goulet from messing with his stuff.

Wow, what brilliant insight. Who hasn’t felt sleepy in the afternoon when their blood sugar crashes? And who hasn’t wondered what happened to that file they had just set down on their filing cabinet? I know I have.

The idea of drawing a direct correlation between the two truths we have all experienced is brilliant. But the real genius is having the iconic Robert Goulet become the office gremlin. It’s irreverent, comical and very memorable.

What’s more, this commercial has created a new phrase that I’ve personally adopted into my lexicon. On afternoons when my eyelids grow heavy, I turn to my coworkers and invite them to come with me to the corner convenience store to grab a snack. Why? To keep Robert Goulet from messing with my stuff.

I never get tired of seeing this spot. Eight months after it first aired, it continues to resonate with me. I wished I had worked on that ad. — Karl, Copywriter