'Known for nothing'? Not anymore. Mount Pearl's killer rap video gets worldwide attention
The video was AdWeek magazine's ad of the week
Welcome to Mount Pearl, absolutely everyone.
A rap music video promoting Mount Pearl — and featuring Mayor Dave Aker fist-bumping a baby — got its own fist bump from American advertising heavyweight AdWeek magazine.
AdWeek featured the video on its website as its chosen Ad of the Day on Thursday.
"AdWeek gets about six million eyeballs on it, which is ginormous for a city of 25,000," said Jessica Hill, a producer at Target Marketing, the company behind the video.
"That space is normally reserved for people like Apple or Nike, the big brands with the massive budgets," said Jason Hill, the company's creative director.
"You don't expect to see something like this up there with the big boys."
Jessica Hill said the text, calls and coverage have been as relentless as the track's sick beats.
"We set out to put Mount Pearl on the map and I think the fact that we've got people in California and England and in Australia humming it and singing it — we never thought that would happen," she said.
The video itself has had nearly 100,000 views, she said.
Known for nothing?
Though the headline on AdWeek's piece about the video says Mount Pearl is "known for nothing," Jessica said it's exactly that idea they wanted to dispel with the anthem.
"They actually have so many really interesting things that they do and they are quite progressive in their thinking," she said.
That they were open to the idea of a rap anthem highlighting its services, and its miles of walking trails shows the city does some out-of-the-box thinking.
Heck, it had recycling before St. John's.
And there are ponies.
More ponies
In one part of the video, the music shuts off to make way for the clip-clopping of a pony being walked down the street by a woman.
That wasn't planned, the Hills said. The woman and her pet just happened to walk by during the video shoot.
"I'm like, 'Where's a camera? We have to shoot this,'" Jason Hill said.
Jessica Hill said she felt like Mount Pearl has so much to offer, there could be a sequel video.
Jason Hill knows exactly what he'd include in that followup anthem.
"Just more pony, really."