In the original "Scream," released in 1996, Drew Barrymore answered the phone and things went badly from there. Nearly thirty years later, she is answering the phone again, this time for Chase, and the news is considerably improved.
The financial services giant has enlisted Ms. Barrymore to reprise her role — or at least her position near a telephone — in a new campaign for Chase Freedom, the company's cash-back credit card. The spot, created by Droga5, reimagines the famous opening sequence of the Wes Craven horror film, except that the masked caller on the other end of the line has come not to terrorize but to inform her about rewards points.
The role of Ghostface, the franchise's signature villain, is played this time by Kevin Hart, who has appeared in previous Chase campaigns and who, one supposes, was available. (Whether the casting represents a commentary on the diminishing menace of slasher films or the enduring appeal of cash-back offers is left to the viewer.)
"It felt right to go big with this one," said Wittney Rachlin, the general manager at Chase Freedom, in a statement that could apply to virtually any campaign in the history of marketing but which in this case refers to timing the effort to the film's thirtieth anniversary and the addition of new benefits to the Freedom Flex card.
The campaign begins airing on television this week, with social media content to follow through the Halloween season — a period when, Chase notes, its cardholders tend to increase both shopping and travel planning. The strategy of reviving a cultural artifact from the mid-1990s to reach consumers in 2024 is by now a familiar one on Madison Avenue, where nostalgia has proved to be an inexhaustible resource.
Ms. Barrymore, for her part, survives this version of the call. The popcorn, presumably, does not go to waste.
Original story published in adweek.com: "Chase Brings Back Drew Barrymore For a Scream Spoof Ahead of Movie's 30th Anniversary"