I saw this ad for the first time recently and laughed my head off. I love the way the actor repeats a long line of dialogue we normally hear in the ads, not knowing he is IN the ad itself! Of course, that’s not the most funny part, but take a look then scroll down for more.
The actor in this spot is David An. He’s been in quite a few movies and TV shows over the years, including the movies Green Book, Rampage, and The 15:17 to Paris, along with TV appearances in “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and “NCIS,” among others.
David also stars, alongside a hungry seagull, in a short ad within the same campaign…
Where is this bench, though? Well, this isn’t as easy to figure out. I have 3 educated guesses as to where this was shot, “A” and “B” in New York, and then a secret third option…
- A. Governors Island. The view from this island makes sense with the angle of the Statue of Liberty in the background. But the ground and fence are not at all consistent with the Liberty Mutual ad.
- B. Louis Valentino, Jr. Park and Pier. The railing/fence looks more consistent with the background of the Liberty ad.
- C. It’s all done in post-production with a green screen.
If I had to pick one, I’d go with choice “C” and they built a set for the ad with a giant green screen in the background. Neither “A” or “B” locations have benches facing AWAY from the ocean (most benches would naturally face out into the ocean, towards Lady Liberty), and the concrete sidewalks are not like the one in the ad. Also, there is no land as close to the Statue of Liberty as the ad makes it feel (and look).
Liberty Mutual has been making funny ads for a while in this particular location with the Statue of Liberty in the background. Here are a few other favorites.
- Boring arcade game:
2. Young girl calls magician out:
3. Liberty Biberty:
You can check out the rest of the ads in the Liberty portfolio by going to their YouTube page.
Thanks for stopping by!
-Out of the Wilderness
Out of the Wilderness 
I came to your site to try to understand why the “Seagull” ad is funny. Can you please explain?
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Probably something about the fact that when there’s one seagull… there are a hundred seagulls. Plus the reminder from Finding Nemo… “mine, mine, mine”… I guess that’s worth a chuckle, at least in the eyes of Liberty Mutual haha
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