# Local Ad

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9th episode of the 4th season of The Office

"Local Ad" The Office episode The Dunder Mifflin graphic created by Pam for the "Local Ad" Episode no. Season 4 Episode 9 Directed by Jason Reitman Written by B. J. Novak Cinematography by Randall Einhorn Editing by David Rogers Production code 409 Original air date October 25, 2007 (2007-10-25)[1] Guest appearances Kyle Bornheimer as Adman Andy Buckley as David Wallace Tim Kang as Koh Episode chronology ← Previous "Money" Next → "Branch Wars" The Office (American season 4) List of episodes

"**Local Ad**" is the ninth episode of the [fourth season](/source/The_Office_(American_TV_series)_season_4) of the American [comedy](/source/Comedy) [television series](/source/Television_program) *[The Office](/source/The_Office_(American_TV_series))* and the show's sixty-second episode overall. The episode was written by [B. J. Novak](/source/B._J._Novak), who also acts in the show as [Ryan Howard](/source/Ryan_Howard_(The_Office)), and directed by [Jason Reitman](/source/Jason_Reitman). It originally aired in the United States on October 25, 2007, on [NBC](/source/NBC).[1]

After a video team is brought to the office to create a commercial for the company, Michael decides that the employees of the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin can create a better commercial. While the majority of the staff work on the commercial, Dwight, still depressed from his break-up with Angela, instead chooses to play a computer game.

## Plot

When [Michael Scott](/source/Michael_Scott_(The_Office)) learns that the [Scranton](/source/Scranton%2C_Pennsylvania) branch's participation in a [Dunder Mifflin](/source/Dunder_Mifflin) television commercial is limited to five seconds of the staff waving at the camera, he dismisses the advertising consultants sent to the branch, and convinces the company's corporate headquarters to consider an alternative version that he will produce himself.

Michael asks [Pam Beesly](/source/Pam_Beesly) to design an animated logo, and she works all night on it.[2][3] [Phyllis Vance](/source/Phyllis_Vance)'s mission to enlist visiting author [Sue Grafton](/source/Sue_Grafton) to appear in the ad is unsuccessful. Headed by [Darryl Philbin](/source/Darryl_Philbin), a group of employees write and perform a [jingle](/source/Jingle) for the commercial, which Michael ultimately rejects. [Andy Bernard](/source/Andy_Bernard), meanwhile, struggles throughout the day to recall the [product name](/source/Product_name) from an advertising jingle that contains the lyrics "Gimme a break. Gimme a break. Break me off a piece of that..."

[Dwight Schrute](/source/Dwight_Schrute), playing in the online virtual world of *[Second Life](/source/Second_Life)*, has created an [avatar](/source/Avatar_(computing)) named Dwight Shelford, also a paper salesman, patterned after his once-perfect real life. He now uses *Second Life* as an escape from his real-life troubles, even creating a virtual *Second Life*, called *Second Second Life*. [Jim Halpert](/source/Jim_Halpert) creates his own avatar named Jim Samtanko, a guitar-playing [Philadelphia](/source/Philadelphia) sportswriter, and enters *Second Life* in order to spy on Dwight.

Dwight reluctantly becomes Andy's confidante regarding his relationship with [Angela Martin](/source/Angela_Martin), Dwight's former girlfriend. Dwight's spirits are lifted when he learns that, during a [makeout](/source/Making_out) session with Andy, Angela cried, "Oh, D!". Andy assumes "D" is a diminutive for Andy.

After the corporate headquarters rejects Michael's ad, the office employees gather at Poor Richard's Pub to watch the professionally filmed commercial, which Michael refers to as "the world premiere of corporate crapfest." After the commercial, Jim plays Michael's version of the ad on the bar's television set. Over the theme from *[Chariots of Fire](/source/Chariots_of_Fire_(instrumental))*, as Michael narrates trite catchphrases,[3] a sheet of paper is depicted making a journey around the world, carrying a variety of messages meaningful to the recipients; Pam's animated whirling sheets of paper coalesce into the company logo to end the ad. The employees as well as the other patrons of the bar show their approval.

Andy, still trying to recall the product name from the jingle on the basis that it has to rhyme, incorrectly concludes that it promotes [Fancy Feast](/source/Fancy_Feast) cat food.

## Production

"Local Ad" was the seventh episode of the series written by [B. J. Novak](/source/B._J._Novak), who also acts in the show as [Ryan Howard](/source/Ryan_Howard_(The_Office)), and the first episode of the series directed by [Jason Reitman](/source/Jason_Reitman), who directed the films *[Juno](/source/Juno_(film))* and *[Thank You for Smoking](/source/Thank_You_for_Smoking)*. When speaking about his directorial experience with *The Office*, Reitman stated that "Anyhow, the whole experience was awesome. They're all geniuses over there. I didn’t have to contribute much at the end of the day because they're all so on their game." He also stated that "Weird moment of production design surprise – There's a three ring binder on [Creed's](/source/Creed_Bratton) desk with the logo from the Academy of Tobacco Studies that we created for [*Thank You For*] *Smoking*. I have no idea how it got there and neither does he."[4] B.J. Novak's brother [Jesse](/source/Jesse_Novak), a musician, contributed by writing the second commercial jingle in the episode, and the third jingle was written by [Craig Robinson](/source/Craig_Robinson_(actor)), the actor who plays reoccurring character [Darryl Philbin](/source/Darryl_Philbin) and leads the cast members in performing both the second and third jingle.[5]

The *[Second Life](/source/Second_Life)* scenes in "Local Ad" were produced by Clear Ink of Berkeley, CA, using existing locations within *Second Life* as well as virtual sets created for the episode.[6][7][8] In a study made by IAG Research, the appearance of *Second Life* in "Local Ad" was rated eighth in the top ten most effective product placements of 2007. *[The Office](/source/The_Office_(American_TV_series))* was the only non-[reality show](/source/Reality_television) to make the list, and *Second Life* was the only product on the list that did not pay for its placement.[9]

The two sides of Michael and Ryan's phone conversation were filmed simultaneously, with a [second unit](/source/Second_unit) shooting Ryan's part.[5]

Scenes which were filmed for the episode but deleted include Toby suggesting the ad be filmed in slow-motion, Jim and Michael roleplaying as a producer and an artistically idealistic director, and Jim encasing Dwight's rocket launcher in gelatin in *Second Life*.

## Reception

"Local Ad" received a 5.2 [Nielsen rating](/source/Nielsen_rating) and an 8% Share. The episode was watched by an estimate audience of 8.98 million viewers and achieved a 4.7/11 in the key adults 18–49 demographic. This means that 4.1 percent of all people aged 18–49 viewed the episode, and eleven percent of all people watching television at the time viewed the episode.[10]

"Local Ad" received generally favorable reviews from critics. Travis Fickett of *[IGN](/source/IGN)* gave the episode a favorable review, saying "This episode is a prime example of how *The Office* is able to do broad comedy while at the same time treating its characters as real people." Fickett went on to praise the acting of [Rainn Wilson](/source/Rainn_Wilson) as a depressed Dwight, as well as the story's twist. Fickett stated that "A great twist here is that we think we're watching Michael pilot a sinking ship as usual, but in fact – the ad is quite good. There's some clever stuff in there, albeit some of it not exactly professional in its production, but Michael doesn't do such a bad job."[11] Like Fickett, Christine Fenno of *[Entertainment Weekly](/source/Entertainment_Weekly)* gave the episode a favorable review. Fenno said that "The premise of this episode, 'Local Ad' — the Scranton staffers shoot a commercial — was strong, and allowed almost every ensemble member to shine." Fenno also praised the acting work of [Ed Helms](/source/Ed_Helms) as Andy, as well as [Steve Carell](/source/Steve_Carell) as Michael.[12] Oscar Dahl, a senior writer for [BuddyTV](/source/BuddyTV), praised the episode, but also felt that its thirty-minute length created a stark contrast to the previous four episodes' hour-long run, saying "tonight's episode felt short. Really short."[13]

For his work on this episode, [B. J. Novak](/source/B._J._Novak) was nominated for a [Writers Guild of America Award](/source/Writers_Guild_of_America_Award) for [Best Screenplay – Episodic Comedy](/source/Writers_Guild_of_America_Award_for_Best_Screenplay_%E2%80%93_Episodic_Comedy), but lost to another episode of *The Office*, "[The Job](/source/The_Job_(The_Office))."[14]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Spider_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Spider_1-1) [Michael is Asked to Participate in a Company Ad Next Week on *The Office*](https://web.archive.org/web/20110708131508/http://www.celebrityspider.com/news/october07/article101907-5.html) Celebrity Spider, retrieved July 16, 2008

1. **[^](#cite_ref-CB_2-0)** ["TV Recap: The Office – Local Ad"](http://www.cinemablend.com/television/TV-Recap-The-Office-Local-Ad-6973.html). CinemaBlend. October 25, 2007

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-PPL_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-PPL_3-1) ["The Office: Add TV Producer to Michael’s Résumé"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140412124618/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20424648,00.html). *[People](/source/People_(magazine))* magazine. October 26, 2007.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [Director's Blog](http://my.foxsearchlight.com/node/1237) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20080327075646/http://my.foxsearchlight.com/node/1237) March 27, 2008, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) [Fox Searchlight Pictures](/source/Fox_Searchlight_Pictures), retrieved July 16, 2008

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-commentary_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-commentary_5-1) [Novak, B. J.](/source/B._J._Novak); [Helms, Ed](/source/Ed_Helms); [Robinson, Craig](/source/Craig_Robinson_(actor)); [Baker, Leslie David](/source/Leslie_David_Baker); [Bratton, Creed](/source/Creed_Bratton); [Reitman, Jason](/source/Jason_Reitman); Ferrell, Anthony (2008). *Audio commentary for "Local Ad"* (DVD). [Universal Studios Home Entertainment](/source/Universal_Studios_Home_Entertainment). *The Office: Season Four* Disc 2

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Clear Ink and NBC's *The Office* in *Second Life* – A Quick Recap"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080704055907/http://clearnightsky.com/node/391). *clearnightsky.com*. Archived from [the original](http://clearnightsky.com/node/391) on July 4, 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["*The Office* – A Viral Approach to *Second Life*"](https://slambling.blogspot.com/2007/10/office-viral-approach-to-second-life.html). *Ambling in Second Life*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["SL Business Communicators Transcript: *The Office* in SL with Clear Ink"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080619040911/http://freshtakes.typepad.com/sl_communicators/2007/11/sl-business-c-1.html). *Business Communicators of Second Life*. Archived from [the original](http://freshtakes.typepad.com/sl_communicators/2007/11/sl-business-c-1.html) on June 19, 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Effective (and cost-effective) brand placement: *Second Life* in *The Office*"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080924015942/http://clearnightsky.com/node/407). *clearnightsky.com*. Archived from [the original](http://clearnightsky.com/node/407) on September 24, 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Broadcast TV Ratings for Thursday, October 25, 2007"](http://entertainmentnow.wordpress.com/2007/10/26/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-thursday-october-25-2007). Your Entertainment Now. October 26, 2007. Retrieved October 26, 2007.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** [*The Office*: "Local Ad" Review](http://tv.ign.com/articles/830/830609p1.html) [IGN](/source/IGN), retrieved July 16, 2008

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** [*The Office*: See Spot Not Run](https://web.archive.org/web/20071027135058/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20154684,00.html) *[Entertainment Weekly](/source/Entertainment_Weekly)*, retrieved July 16, 2008

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** [*The Office*: Episode 4.5, "Local Ad" Recap](http://www.buddytv.com/articles/the-office/the-office-episode-45-local-ad-13026.aspx) [BuddyTV](/source/BuddyTV), retrieved July 16, 2008

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** [2008 Writers Guild Awards Television & Radio Nominees Announced](http://wga.org/subpage_newsevents.aspx?id=2653) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20071219203806/http://www.wga.org/subpage_newsevents.aspx?id=2653) December 19, 2007, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) Press Release. [WGA](/source/Writers_Guild_of_America). December 12, 2007.

## External links

- ["Local Ad"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120215060213/http://www.nbc.com/the-office/episode-guide/season-4/59501/local-ad/episode-409/59573) at NBC.com

- ["Local Ad"](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1031473/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier))

v t e The Office (American TV series) episodes Season 1 "Pilot" "Diversity Day" "Health Care" "The Alliance" "Basketball" "Hot Girl" Season 2 "The Dundies" "Sexual Harassment" "Office Olympics" "The Fire" "Halloween" "The Fight" "The Client" "Performance Review" "Email Surveillance" "Christmas Party" "Booze Cruise" "The Injury" "The Secret" "The Carpet" "Boys and Girls" "Valentine's Day" "Dwight's Speech" "Take Your Daughter to Work Day" "Michael's Birthday" "Drug Testing" "Conflict Resolution" "Casino Night" Season 3 "Gay Witch Hunt" "The Convention" "The Coup" "Grief Counseling" "Initiation" "Diwali" "Branch Closing" "The Merger" "The Convict" "A Benihana Christmas" "Back from Vacation" "Traveling Salesmen" "The Return" "Ben Franklin" "Phyllis' Wedding" "Business School" "Cocktails" "The Negotiation" "Safety Training" "Product Recall" "Women's Appreciation" "Beach Games" "The Job" Season 4 "Fun Run" "Dunder Mifflin Infinity" "Launch Party" "Money" "Local Ad" "Branch Wars" "Survivor Man" "The Deposition" "Dinner Party" "Chair Model" "Night Out" "Did I Stutter?" "Job Fair" "Goodbye, Toby" Season 5 "Weight Loss" "Employee Transfer" "Moroccan Christmas" "The Duel" "Prince Family Paper" "Stress Relief" "Lecture Circuit" "Blood Drive" "Golden Ticket" "New Boss" "Two Weeks" "Dream Team" "Michael Scott Paper Company" "Heavy Competition" "Broke" "Casual Friday" "Cafe Disco" "Company Picnic" Season 6 "Gossip" "The Meeting" "The Promotion" "Niagara" "Mafia" "The Lover" "Koi Pond" "Double Date" "Murder" "Shareholder Meeting" "Scott's Tots" "Secret Santa" "The Banker" "Sabre" "The Manager and the Salesman" "The Delivery" "St. Patrick's Day" "New Leads" "Happy Hour" "Secretary's Day" "Body Language" "The Cover-Up" "The Chump" "Whistleblower" Season 7 "Nepotism" "Counseling" "Andy's Play" "Sex Ed" "The Sting" "Costume Contest" "Christening" "Viewing Party" "WUPHF.com" "China" "Classy Christmas" "Ultimatum" "The Seminar" "The Search" "PDA" "Threat Level Midnight" "Todd Packer" "Garage Sale" "Training Day" "Michael's Last Dundies" "Goodbye, Michael" "The Inner Circle" "Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager" "Search Committee" Season 8 "The List" "The Incentive" "Lotto" "Garden Party" "Spooked" "Doomsday" "Pam's Replacement" "Gettysburg" "Mrs. California" "Christmas Wishes" "Trivia" "Pool Party" "Jury Duty" "Special Project" "Tallahassee" "After Hours" "Test the Store" "Last Day in Florida" "Get the Girl" "Welcome Party" "Angry Andy" "Fundraiser" "Turf War" "Free Family Portrait Studio" Season 9 "New Guys" "Roy's Wedding" "Andy's Ancestry" "Work Bus" "Here Comes Treble" "The Boat" "The Whale" "The Target" "Dwight Christmas" "Lice" "Suit Warehouse" "Customer Loyalty" "Junior Salesman" "Vandalism" "Couples Discount" "Moving On" "The Farm" "Promos" "Stairmageddon" "Paper Airplane" "Livin' the Dream" "A.A.R.M." "Finale"

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Local Ad](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_Ad) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_Ad?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.