Its Advertising Time - Article by
- Jermaine Dela Cruz
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- Agency: It's Advertising Time
- Client: Chili's Grill & Bar
- Category: Video Design — Food Commercial
- Location: Virginia, United States
- Project Brief: Create a commercial video that refreshes Chili’s iconic Baby Back Ribs jingle through entertainment, celebrity collaboration, and brand storytelling.
In their latest spot for Chili's, the team at It's Advertising Time highlights how a food commercial featuring a pop star should treat the celebrity as the punchline, not the pitch.
The setup runs as a fake interview where Lizzo insists she won't perform the song. The cut to a full sequined stage performance in front of a Chili's neon sign turns the refusal into the joke, with the audience in on the bit from the first frame.
Production leans into the absurdity rather than dressing it down. A rib played as a flute, a giant novelty check made out to "Lizzo Moolah" and a TV in the restaurant booth replaying her own performance keep the spot in internet-meme territory rather than corporate-ad territory.
Color discipline holds the food commercial together. Stage scenes run on Chili's red and saturated nightclub purple, while the booth scene drops into warm restaurant tones so the ribs stay appetizing, closing on Lizzo's deadpan "pretty tasteful" as the actual tagline.
