The Stuart Principle

To me, the most compelling character on television in the late 1990s wasn't a cast member from Friends or Sex and the City, or even Tony Soprano! It was Stuart, the punk office boy who tried so desperately to fit into straight society in the hilarious Ameritrade commercials. His clueless boss, Mr. P, needed Stuart to show him the ropes . Stuart represented every geek in Silicon Valley who made good! The ad's subliminal message was, "Technology makes everything easier, but you old fogies have to trust us to benefit from it!"

Figure 10.3: Stuart from the Ameritrade commercial

Stuart was the brainchild of Ogilvy & Mather New York. According to Ameritrade's vice president of marketing, Peter Horst,

Rather than tightly scripted marketing messages, these ads were largely improvised. There was no storyboard, no script; we just hired some actors, told them some points we wanted them to hit ”eight bucks a trade, free research, demonstrate that it's quick and easy ”and it was all improv from there. I've done millions of ads and this was most unusual. From a client's perspective, it was a little nerve -racking!

The result, directed by Dewey Hicks, was a spontaneous spot with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Mr. P asks office-worker Stuart, caught in the act of photocopying his face for a party invitation , for some help setting up his online Ameritrade account. As Mr. P gingerly pecks away at his Web browser, Stuart eggs him on with a little chicken dance and utters the unforgettable phrase, "Catch the wave of the future, my man. Let's light this candle !" I think Hollywood really missed the mark by not making a buddy flick featuring Stuart and Mr. P. I can envision it now: Stuart and Mr. P are at a rave, Mr. P flips out on Ecstasy, and Stuart calmly talks him down.