Hasbro's "Cubicle" does a "Fahrenheit 451."

The electronic age has swept through the workplace without much resistance from employees, many of whom do not even remember a time without email and instant messaging.
Just how much technology is too much is the question Hasbro ponders in a spot for its platinum edition electronic board games, from agency Jordan McGrath Case &
Partners. Partizan director Phil Brown, with editing and music by Editing Concepts' Nelson Leonard and Peter Lopez.

"Cubicle" (:30) opens as a young lady arrives at her retro-chic office that faintly resembles Truffaut's sci-fi classic "Fahrenheit 451."

As soon as the lady is seated in her cube, an omnipresent robotic voice wishes her a happy Monday morning, then scolds her for being four-minutes, while a robotic arm materializes to confiscate her morning coffee.
Before she has the chance to digest this, the voice grants her a promotion to supervisor and orders her to fire two co-workers. A voiceover plainly states,
"Electronic cubicle, bad idea."

The scene then shifts to a group of people hanging out and playing a slick
compact Hasbro electronic game. Again, a voiceover, "Electronic board game,
good idea," a comment on the decidedly less oppressive atmosphere of the
club.

The spot wittily evokes the technological paranoia of the '60s through its
set design, costumes and synthesized music, managing to poking fun at the
era's dystopian vision of the future, while introducing a product that's
been improved by that same technology. Hasbro shows us we have no need to
fear the new, as long it's working for you, not you for it.

Credits
Project: Hasbro Platinum Edition
Title: "Cubicle"

Ad Agency: Jordan McGrath Case & Partners
Chief Creative Director: Rochelle Klein
Creative Director: Barbara Di Lorenzo
Copywriter: Michele Gussman
Art Director: Nikolay Nikolov
Producer: Debbie Dunlap

Production Company: Partizan
Director: Phil Brown
Executive Producer: Shelia Stepanek
Producer: Peter Grech
DP: John Houtman
Location of shoot: City Hall in Toronto, OT

Editorial Services Co.: Editing Concepts, Inc.
Executive Producer: Nancy Finn
Producer: Nicole Sciarrillo
Editor: Nelson Leonard
Asst. Editor: Rebecca Beluk