Bell’s new mascots – two talking beavers named Frank and Gordon – have an eponymous web site – frankandgordon.ca.
I’m glad to see that the folks working on the site heeded One Degree’s recent advice and allow people to drop the "www" and still get to the site.
I also really like that they registered the .com version of the domain but still use the .ca in the ads to make it clear this is a Canadian thing.
Unfortunately they didn’t read an older One Degree post called How To Add Spell-check To Your Domain Names (go read it, I’ll wait). Now there might be some obvious typo domains that they could have registered (and they may have for that matter – I didn’t check them all), but I know they missed a really big and obvious problem with that domain.
Imagine this scenario which is close but not quite what Bell’s marketers imagined happening:
Jimmy: "Dad, those beavers are funny. Can we go to their website to expand our brand experience interactively?"
Dad: "Well Jimmy, what do you say we get on the ol’ interweb and Google some beavers." (Okay I might have just found the second problem.)
Jimmy: "No Dad, the commercial had their address at the end."
Dad: "What was it Jimmy?"
Jimmy: "Uh, well it was the names of the beavers – Gordon and Frank. Yeah, it was gordonandfrank.ca."
Dad: "Okay, let’s go to gordonandfrank.ca".
See the problem?
It’s frankandgordon.ca not gordonandfrank.ca. And Bell didn’t think to register the alternate. What would Gordon say about this clear case of favouritism?
So, what do you get when you go to gordonandfrank.ca you may ask?
Why (after DNS updates), you get the very page you are now reading.
Hilarious!
Sure will be a tough way to learn their lesson… care to track stats on how many people wind up on your typo? Did you buy any of the other alternatives?
Great living experiment. Probably some interesting data on TV to web cross over campaigns…SUPER BOWL and maybe Canadas largest brand.
Pretty interesting. Definitely funny.
So awesome!
I wonder if there is any comparable data on phone number mnemonics and/or multiple registerings of those numbers?
I suppose the argument could be made that its easier on the web .. because there are engines like Google. Although a search on “Gordon and Frank” turns up a real estate broker in Australia who may not appreciate his new found popularity.
And if only Jimmy *really* talked like that 🙂
Cheers .. Kate
Nice. Clever. They should have hired you.
I’ll be happy to share some stats as this evolves. It’s been about 6 hours now since we pushed the DNS update and we’ve had over 100 visitors to this page.
Now some of that traffic is typical One Degree traffic, but we’re seeing a real spike on this particular post. Normally the top post of the day gets about 30 reads in a full 24 hours so the domain is definitely having an effect on traffic.
Frank & Gordon are cool Canadian beavers and all that. I just hope Norm Mcdonald is NOT one of the voices. He has no use for Canada & Canadians. (he renounced his Canadian citizenship and became an American) when the Canadian military declined to participate in the Iraqi invasion.
Boo, Norm Mcdonald.
Ken, please let us OneDegree readers know when Bell Canada, their agency and lawyers contact you!
This is pretty funny…and it truly speaks to some common issues faced in online and integrated, cross-media marketing. After all, you can’t really click on the URL in the TV commercial and I am sure a decent percentage of would-be browsers end up juxtaposing the the names of the Bell beavers.
Good work!!!
Hey Stefan, I will definitely let everyone know if you need to get together a “defense fund” for me!
So far in the first 24 hours of gordonandfrank.ca we’ve had over 600 page views on this one page.
My guess is frankandgordon.ca might be getting a FEW more page views than that!
I agree with Janis, I have seen a clip of Norm McDonald openly badmouthing Canada and Canadians on the air not to mention the fact that he is an active Bush supporter.
I like Norm MacDonald’s brand of humour, and I liked his shows. I didn’t know he was Canadian till I confirmed it on IMDB.
I am pretty sure it is him, but I’ve been searching the MAD TV cast pages to find out who his “Artie-like” co-star is. I can place the voice in my head.
I wish ADS had an IMDB database to solve my mental questions. I know voices well.
hey, well if you go to the website it shows what cities the beavers were born in, norms beaver says quebec just like norm. it says the other beaver was born in winnipeg i believe. what famous canadian comedian was born there.
ummmm god bless IMDB.
i found out..it’s played by Ken Campbell.
Thanks to Bell I found onedegree.ca
Has anyone found a web site where we can provide feedback directly to Bell about using Norm McDonald as a voice for a CDN commercial. I find it offensive after his statements on US TV.
When I first heard this ad I was turned off immediately when I heard Norm MacDonald’s voice, Actually, insulted. Who was the idiot that casted him as a voice of a patriotic Canadian??
Lots of really funny Canadians out there, the best you could come up with was a traitor, you should all be ashamed.
Hilarious.
It’s about time we show our great Canadian sense of Humour.
How about stuffed animal mascots for sale. Great fund raiser for our future Canadian Athletes. I buy a pair. Keep up the great work.I’m proud to be a Canadian and a Bell subscriber.
I love Frank and Gordon. I hope that you will be marketing Frank and Gordon Plush Animals. Don’t forget their red toques. Hey who’s the voice for Gordon? It sounds like Horatio Sanz? Am I right?!
The other Beaver is the voice of Baby Bob! I knew I knew it.
He’s not even Canadian, but he sounds a little like Artie-Lang, Norm’s friend and occasional partner.
Funny they mention Norm as a choice for the voice in an ad, but the other guy isn’t even Canadian… is he?
I agree that Frank and Gordon are the most popular thing on t.v. commercials nowadays. It will pass as everything does eventually. I also agree that they should have searched the background of those who did the voices and hire good patriotic Canadians that are proud of us and not some cut throat like MacDonald (Norm). Shaun Madjumder comes to mind as well as Red Green, even one of them could have been a female,(Luba Goy, etc…) and they could have pushed the envelope a lot further with different sexes! Must admit they are cute and very funny!
Hooray to the Bell Marketing department to hire a company with a sense of humour. Enjoy the ads, breaking up the sometimes dry CBC commentary.
Boring commercials after you’ve seen them once. Have a ‘been there, done that’ feel about them…
I LOVVVVEEEE fRANK AND GORDON. THEy are My idols. this is one of the best commercials yet. I almost peed my pants laughing. Way to go beavers!!
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
For all the people who are upset because Norm MacDonald’s voice is used on the Bell commercials, think for a minute. First of all, these are supposed to be humorous commercials, not political statements. Secondly, supporting the war in Iraq or the Bush government is not un-Canadian. There are many Canadians who feel this way. Besides, isn’t Canada a country that prides itself in respecting everybody’s viewpoint, even if they do not agree with it?
Who cares if Norm Macdonald is no longer Canadian or if the other guy is American. That’s why it’s called voice-over ACTING!! Do you think that in every movie you see that everyone depicted who belongs to a certain nationality, race, or culture is strictly cast to essentially “keep it real”? Hells no. Just calm down and enjoy the commercial.
Frank and Gordon have to be the BEST ad on TV for a long time.
In fact, the advertisers at the Super Bowl paid millions to have their ads seen and I dont remember one of them!!!!
SO Frank and Gordon have certainly outrated even the Super Bowl.. They are wonderful,funny, and all Canadian. Right on Bell for picking the right ad for the 2006 Olympics, I hope we see more of Frank and Gordon for other events, you’ve got a winner there.
Good One.!!!!!
I Love Frank and Gordon!!!! You have to market a plush animal set of these two witty creatures, and not just a small version…make them a good size.Don’t forget their red touques!!
Hats off to Bell, a truly Canadian Company for choosing the Beaver for it’s official mascott.
We were just discussing at work how funny the two beavers are…Gordon and Frank. It isn’t too often I wait around to see what commercial will be on before I flick to another channel. I didn’t see them during the Super Bowl but happy to see them now…I agree with the plush toys!
Really entertaining, can’t wait to see the next one, they have become our Canadian Characters on tv. I’m sure Air Force will be giving free advertising when it gets back on the air, when the olympics are over.
Would either of these two beavers be available for a date? I’m thinking that maybe their ability to carry on a conversation is far better than the ordinary man.
Frank and Gordon rock!
At last two beavers I can relate to,I did not need a valantine I had Frank and Gordon on T.V. It was love at first site!
the frank and grodon commertials are preddy cool and witty, and they have worked on me enought fro me to try to go to their site. i wish more commertials were like this
This is a great uniquely Canadian idea!! These guys are really funny. A spot with one of them chewing an Olympic hockey stick would be funny. Keep them coming! How about a mascot in costume for the hockey games?? Cheers!!
Hi,
Thanks for the the proper link to Frank and Gordon! I have been watching these guys on the French channel- CKSH-tv. (I live in Maine.) I absolutely LOVE the one where Gordon is lounging on the polar bear rug- even though I can only understand about half of what Frank is saying! As a matter of fact, that’s how I happened here today, I am looking for the transcripts to the French commercials, so my Mom can tell me what they mean! Any help toward this end would be appreciated!
Hi it’s me again! I found them!
In French, their names are Jules et Bertrand.
You can see their French commercials at this place:
http://www.infopresse.com/article.aspx?id=16369
Frank and Gordon are great commercials but they would be better if they were ALL captioned for the hearing impaired. So far I have only seen 2 that are captioned.
I love the Frank and Gordon commercials! They are so much fun to watch. Great work for whoever came up with these commercials! Keep up the good work!!!
Why would Bell use Norm McDonalds voice for a Canadian Beaver add..he denounced Canada for National television its stance on the war in Iraq….Use a REAL Canadians voice for the adds!
Love the commercials You have to hire the pair to let them live past the olypics how they are about to commenet on Canadian Politics.. that needs some funny lightening up!!!!!!!
I’d like to know where I can buy the stuffed version of Frank and Gordon! Gordon, of course, should be sold wearing the Canadian toque. Anybody else wanting to buy this pair?
Get rid of Norm MacDonald and everyone will love this!
Does anyone know the names of both beavers in French ? We always hear about Gordon (translate as “Bertrant”) but what about Frank’s name?
Thanks!
I think these guys are hilarious. The updated version of the Blockbuster Video critters. I don’t want the Olympics to end, because then no more Gordon and Frank!
Half the fun of watching the Olympics this time around is seeing Frank & Gordon in the commercials. Their website is great too. I would love to buy the stuffed version of the duo.
And if you think about it, its just funny that Norm is the voice of Frank, the patriotic beaver. Because, I, for one, haven’t watched this much CBC in a long time. I wouldn’t even think of turning to an American station to watch the Olympics.
I find all the above comments absolutely astonishing. Most people I have spoken to, agree watching the critters Frank and Gordon for the first time is Humorous, but after that it gets simply irritating especially having to hear those croaking voices. Bell could have done better, by simply demonstrating the superiority of it products and services. I for one will definitely NOT be buying any of those stuff critters, caring much less of having to watch them over again.
Relax people, don’t get political, it’s just a commercial and a good one at that. Cheers to the advertising agency that came up with this one. They are fun to watch and I’m sure the US would love to see our Bell commercials on their TV. Toques off to Frank and Gordon.
I have not seen any commercial that makes me want to split a gut. Hats off to who ever created Frank and Gordon.
I simply Love them!!! Its nice to have a hardy laugh at the end of a work day.
Kudos!!!!!
I agree with Vic… I think these commercials deserve to have an extremely short shelf life and I’m surpised how much pleasure they give other people.
As for originality… these two are just Canadian rip-offs of the Blockbuster animals. I’m surprised they didn’t replace one of the beavers with a Moose or Loon!
Even when we try to do something unique and creative, it just boils down to an American idea with a Canadian twist.
But to be fair, besides the animals, the commercial plots and the voices the commericals are good.
the main reason i watch the tv is for this commercial!!! SOoooooooooo fuNNNNNyy!! you gotta luv them
If he’s so anti-Canadian, why do a Canadian commercial for the Olympics?
Does he need the $ ? Will someone hear his voice and just like that they want him to do an animated movie in Hollywood again?
It’s an interesting combination, I would like to hear someone from CBC make a comment as to why they hired Norm MacDonald, a Canadian, former Canadian, whatever he is, does he still think of himself as Canadian, even a part of him ? Does he remember his Canadian roots? He has the right to his own opinion but do’nt slam your own country for it’s decision not to participate in the war.
I for one love the ads, I am trying to find some where that I can download the ads to keep does anyone know a site or some where I may be able to do this.
All I know is Norm is a moron… He ditched his Canadian citizenship for a political viewpoint. A viewpoint which turned out only to be for a greed. The people that work for you say a lot about you unfortunately. Bell only shows its unoriginality and pathetic attempts to sell a product based on some lame patriotism.
Frank and Gord can burn in the lame lame hell they created. Its just a rip off of Blockbuster, as another user said.
Who is Ken Campbell? My wife and I know the voice but can’t place it. Enough with the Norm bashing. He has a right to voicer and opinion, a right afforded us by our charter of rights. He is still a Canadian and a funny one at that.
I love the Frank & Gordon beavers… they are so cute and represent the 2006 Olympics very well.
Best Bell commercials I have ever seen. Why not arrange to sell frank and gordon dolls. I’d buy them!!
I’ll never by Bell products or services if I can help it, but I gotta hand it to them for these ads. Genius. Pure Genius. Their ad agency and animators have done a stellar job. The ads are witty, subtle, exquisitely detailed and animated superbly. These animators and writers could teach George Lucas a lesson or two. I still see nuances after endless viewings this Olympics. Yoplait, the absolute worst commercials, maybe ever, should be ashamed next to these Bell ads. Does anyone know who the ad agency and their production team is?
We live in Maine, but love all things Canadian, especially Frank and Gordon. CBC has the only Olympic coverage wirth watching, and we NEVER get tired of seeing those two cute little guys. I just hope commercials will continue long after the Olympics end.
Frank and Gordon rock! I am a middle aged man and each time these two pop up I have a great chuckle. I particularly like the ad in which Gordon says, “being a Bell spokesperson rocks”
Good for you and the team that put this together
Everyone, Norm recently granted an interview to Guy MacPherson in Vancouver — which is now posted on http://www.comedycouch.com (hit interview button). He said to Guy that he remains a Canadian and he only renewed his American Green Card.
Not sure where he renounced his Canadian citizenship came from, but Norm set the record straight.
Thanks folks!
Plush beavers can be purchased at any Bell World store in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and BC. They sell for $6 and $2 goes to the United Way.
okay norm plays one, who for sure plays the other???
Has anyone else noticed that the beaver wears a team canada tuque in the ads.. but not in Quebec.
Same commercial , same language (english CBC in Montreal), but no red Team Canada tuque…
Telling…
We look forward to commercials
between games to see more of
Gord and Frank. We enjoy them
so much, good job!!!!
I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and have been enjoying CBC’s coverage of the Olympics. My husband and I just love Frank and Gordon, especially the one where he compares himself to a emu!
Every time that I see that comercial I screem from he botom of the stairs so my siblings can see it my avorite one is the hockey and the phone or the music and the phone in the limo in fact all of them!
Normaly commercials are for going to a pee brak but no we have to wait for Frank and Gordon to come on!
But what I want to know is will they still be there as bell spokes people later on in the olympics or even regularly! that would be exellent!
Thank you for making the olympic commercials so fun,
Frank and Gordon Lover
Great ads… a joy to watch.
These beavers are cute. It’s refreshing to see that instead of things like pushing a car off a cliff to collect insurance…or how about the 2 people on the escalator who don’t walk because it stopped.
We luv Gordon & Frank, Keep up the good work.
We absolutley love Frank and Gordon commercials. They are so funny. We couldn’t get enough of them.Watching the Olympics was made even better by having these commercials on. Hats off to the people who thought this up. HOpe they make more of Frank and Gordon commercials and even a television show.
I am an avid golf fan, and since Bell sponsers Mike Weir, I think it would be great to see a commercial with Frank, Gordon and Mike Weir. I think Frank and Gordon are the best Canadian Ads I have seen in a very long time. Great Canadian Stuff.
Thanks Toronto Star (Feb.26)for that wonderful portrait of Gordon and Frank – the Bell Canada’s computer-generated interpretation of Beavers. I have cut it out and laminated it. We love you both.
We hope to see you again….maybe 2010…or every week. Happy “tales” to you. Samantha and family.
I vowed after the Olympics I would find the website and e-mail and tell you that my husband and I never laughed so hard watching the Frank and Gordon commercials. It didn’t matter how many times their commercials were shown, we would break up again and again. We just love them. I even have a pinup pic of Gordon in my office.
So our congratulations to those responsible for these wonderful two.
Keep ’em coming.
i love frank and gordon i think that they are the cutest beavers ever .please if somebody knows how i can get a picture of them wearing their hockey gear please let me know .i soooooooooo desperately want a t- shirt with them on it .
I love Frank and Gordon. They are hilarious! I never get tired of them.
They are the cutest beavers ever and they are really cool. I love watching the commercials during the olympics because they are in there.
Hope they will make more of those commercials or maybe even a television show out of them.
Good Job!! It’s a joy to watch!!
(PS: Visit them on http://www.frankandgordon.ca)
For folks who love Norm, don’t forget to check out normnews.com and norm-macdonald.com. There is a great forum I’m always on.
come on by!
Frank and Gordon provided a fitting tribute in fine style to end the 2006 Torino Olympics. Thankyou Bell for introducing us to these fine furry friends. I’m proud to be a canadian AND a beaver supporter!!
P.S. Please don’t allow them to disappear!!!
Is it just me or do half these people seem to think this website belongs to Bell? “congrats on your great campaign, keep it up” kind of stuff. Personally I think this was a top notch marketing campaign – by the time the olympics were over you had been convinced that frank and gordon were part of the coverage, not just in the ads – although some people seem to think they really were, as they have been alternately attributed to CBC as well as Bell. And for the person who doesn’t know what the French version of Frank would be – I offer “Francois”.
Never in my life have I ever seen so many people giddy over any TV commercial, and that they would all find their way to this unrelated site. Many of them describing the ads in cutesy-wutesy terms, or saying the ads “rock.” (Go ahead, count how many “rocks” appear above. More times than it did in the curling final.) This leads me to believe that either Bell or Cossette has sent this link to all of their employees.
Give the guy a break – he needs the work! I too agree that MacDonald is a douchebag. I wonder how his brother Neil, who works for the CBC, feels about his shameless Canada-bashing (He said it on “The View”, too. How sad is that?)
Loved Frank and Gordon – Especially when Gordon first sees the sandwich. His smile is really cute. Is there a place where we can see the commercials again?
Their website leaves a little to be desired. Where can we sign up for their fan club?
I swear that Gordan’s voice is that of Jeremy Ratchford who plays Det. Nick Vera in Cold Case. Apparently he was born in Kitchener ON. Can anyone confirm this or not?
In french it is Jules et bertrand!! I swear they are even better in french!!!
Eh, love these guys and think as a fundraiser (plush bobble heads) for your vehicle would be the ultimate new gotta have!
No idea if this is correct, but to me the Frank character’s voice sounds like A. Whitney Brown, the American comic once on Saturday Night Line. Just check the voice at the end of that episode where Franks is admonishing Gordon over his reality and soap opera TV viewing habits: “You worry me, Gordon. You worry me.”
The Voice of Gordon is Ken Hudson Campbell
Check out the his filmography here
seaman buckman in down persicope has to be one of the best roles i’ve seen him in.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0132637/
The Frank and Gordon spots are the most memorable (as well as funny and beautifully animated) around, would love to see a longer version of the two, perhaps a Frank and Gordon Canada day special. Asked bell if they’re planning on selling a dvd collection of the commercials, but no luck.
Frank and Gordon…… my vote for best commercials ever.
When I try to access the actual website, it does not come up. Has it been removed from the net?
Also, I’ve heard Norm MacDonald is no longer participating in the ad campaign. Is this true?
I’ve scouerd the net and Bell’s web sites to find out.
Anyone have any answers?
Frank & Gordon ads can be found at http://www.youtube.com, as well as at
http://www.cossette.com/en/flash/?d=non&size==1024
or on their main page click on “english” then “our work” to look for various F&G clips which are mostly in French for some reason, although I have seen the English ones as well.
It just goes to show you that a large agency with a first rate (and expensive) staff have no real clue as to how to even register a domain effectively in order to protect the investment their client is making, not to mention protecting the Brand.
Take a bow Cossette, and in case you are wondering, domain names are about $15 each; next time – spend a little extra.
The devil is always in the details, still shaking my head.
I just love the Frank and Gordon commercials from Bell. Nothing out there at present is better at representing Canada then our very own “spokes beavers”. Too cute. Perhaps a background photo of the two would be cool for all computer users?
I agree with Bell Retiree…
Frank & Gordon dolls!!!
Frank & Gordon plush toys, Home Game boards; ‘Flasdance’ action figure; etc.
That will really SELL.!!
Frank & Gordon Merchandises!!!
It will sell more that any Bell products have ever sold..
NO DOUBT!!
Hell, take off the Bell name and name their products “Frank & Gordon”.
I’d buy a “Frank & Gordon” cellphone…seriously.
hi !! my son is frank and gordons biggest fan!!!
i bought a small dr. gordon at the bell store , but i know he really wishes for a larger version of either frank or gordon to be his new snuggle buddy in his room..!!anyone know where they might be?
i hope bell figures out the fan club they have created..
Audrey
AWESOME!!!!
I am IN LOVE with frank and gordon!!! i absolutely adore them! you should see my room its filled with their posters and commercials!! KEEP IT COMING!!!
One of the beaver’s is for sure
Kenny Robinson. I don’t really know which is Gordon and which is Frank. But the one that does NOT sound like Norm McDonald is Kenny Robinson. He is from Winnipeg and he is a famous Canadian comedian. Plus he guest starred in the tv show “Doc” where he’s character was called Jelly Beans. See the connection between that and Bell’s new commercial where he is explaning the Bell product with jelly beans. Eh? Eh? See?
For sure it’s Kenny Robinson
After you showing how a web site like yours can got so much traffic based on not registering Frank and Gordon’s site properly I find it amazing people still sound off to you about patriotic feelings etc. You must get a kick out of some of them…this isn’t a blog is it? I do like your sense of humour though!! Maybe you could send them a link to bell.
I personally think you are doing Bell a good service not a bad one, despite your intentions. I think that you are drawing alot more attention to the “beavers” than they could have by registering the domain name correctly. So really you are giving them free publicity. I am sure they are sitting back having a little chuckle about all of this over some jelly beans…
I Love Frank and Gordon!!!!!
I really love Frank and Gordon. They are sooooooooooooo cool. I hope you never get rid of them. Keep making more commercials with the beavers. They are grrrrrrrreat for business. keep those Beavers coming.
Hey everyone thanks for all the comments. We appreciate them!
what song do the bell beavers sing when they are talkign about the bell high definition or something.. there on a talk show.. and the one is in a tv.. and at first it pauses.. then its better with bell.. the one beaver sings a song while in the tv.. “Because of… something lol” its bothering me not knowing!!
Yep- Gordon is none other than Ken Campbell, best remembered as the big spikey haired guy from “Armageddon”.