"Most of the stuff on my reel either has some form of comedy, cynicism or skepticism," states Tool of North America director and principal Erich Joiner. "All that kind of stuff where people from the outside look on and have a chuckle."

If there's one thing the director enjoys, it's a good laugh. A graduate of Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, and former art director at Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Joiner's sense of humor is his hallmark, along with his understanding of the creative process.

"Having been an agency creative he understands the process of what we go through," says Ogilvy & Mather senior partner and producer, Brendan O'Malley who collaborated with Joiner on a series of spots for Miller Lite. "One of his first questions is always, 'What is the point of the advertisement?' He wants to understand why we're doing it. It helps him determine how the production will look, how the actors should act and ultimately what the whole film should be about."

Ask Joiner about the car spots on his reel and the adman begins to profile the Lexus driver and the challenges specific to car spots; namely, showing at least 10 seconds of car and telling a compelling story in the remaining 20 seconds.

Shot to Chris Isaac's "Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing," Lexus "Late Again" taps into the demographic with an upper-middleclass businessman in the driver's seat. Desperate to account for hours spent driving, he constructs an alibi consisting of cheap perfume, rumpled clothing and bright red lipstick on the collar. Assuming the role of adulterer, he enters his home and confronts his wife. "Nice try," she says plainly. "You've been out driving again."

"Hopefully that story with the guy coming home in the morning and pretending he's been out with another woman -- implying he's been out many nights because he likes to drive his car -- hits the target market," says Joiner. "I've always said car advertising is the ultimate long-term branding. You're not just advertising to people who are going to buy a car that week, month or even in the next six months. You're advertising to that possible Lexus buyer two years out."

"Self Image" reveals the possible Lexus driver to be fairly conservative. The kind of guy whose idea of a dramatic makeover was purchasing Ray-Bans after seeing Top Gun. "Here's a person that could seem pretty reserved," explains Joiner of the character seen checking himself out in the spot. "All of a sudden he's gone out on a limb and bought a fancier, sportier car than he would normally buy and in this moment alone, we see him checking himself out."

A compelling story, according to Joiner, is comprised of several elements. Likening the formula to a pyramid, he places "the idea" at the top and works his way down to the "happy accidents."

Take, for example, "Monkey," one of many commercials shot for Yahoo! out of San Francisco agency Black Rocket. The spot features a husband and wife seated at a table eating soup. The wife's expression is grim as her husband's pet monkey sits on his shoulder and pelts her in the head with crackers. Faced with a problem, the husband consults Yahoo! for the solution: a cracker-eating toucan.

"You have to turn that camera on and just keep changing mags because that monkey's going to do something amazing and you just hope you get it on film," laughs Joiner. "That was particularly tricky because I had to get the monkey and the guy's face both in the same shot."

"The trick to those commercials is developing the character who needs the help or has the problem," says the director. "It's a lot like a very short movie, where you're drawn in to who is this person and your heart goes out to them."

The Yahoo! spots may incorporate a traditional approach to advertising (identifying a problem and offering the product as solution), but the bizarre circumstances faced by the protagonists give the spots universal appeal. The same might be said for a series of commercials created for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter during the dot-com boom.

As brokerages went online, younger people began investing in the stock market. MSDW's campaign reflects the changing marketplace using offbeat humor to appeal to first-time investors. In "Chat Room," an online investor searches for a stock tip. He is advised to invest in "VBNM." The tip is not an acronym but four keys depressed on a keyboard as the moderator's ass bounces up and down during an office celebration.

"Gallery" shows a young investor approaching a distinguished gentleman at an art showing. The young man thanks his elder for a stock tip that he overheard. "I bought a ton online," he says proudly. Without skipping a beat the gentleman responds, "Good. For they are the only firm able to meet the stringent demands of the Martians from vector nebula."

"It was an effort from a big, very stable firm to say watch who you're getting your tips from," states Joiner. "I think Morgan Stanley took a different viewpoint and it paid off." Joiner's perspective is certainly different. And he's laughing...all the way to the bank.

Webfiles>

Tool of North America> www.toolofna.com

Ogilvy & Mather> www.ogilvy.com

Black Rocket> www.blackrocket.com