Mikey Day has built much of his career playing outrageous characters, but in his latest gig he serves as the voice of reason.
Dollar Car Rental has enlisted the Saturday Night Live star to front a new ad campaign, casting him as “The Common Sensei.” As you might glean from the name, the character’s mission is to encourage a “common-sense approach to travel and renting a car,” helping customers avoid “travel nonsense” like expensive hotel water bottles and adjoining rooms through “witty, no-nonsense tips.”
Day will appear in a series of ads for Dollar, according to parent company Hertz. And his role isn’t limited to The Common Sensei. The actor will also embody five other “eccentric personas,” including a conductor, a questionable cousin, and what Day describes as the character’s “pre-enlightened self.”
“As someone who’s on the road quite a bit I’ve seen a lot of things that just don’t make much sense,” Day said in a statement. “As Dollar’s Common Sensei I get to share my wisdom to help people make better travel decisions.”
In conjunction with the campaign, later this year Dollar will be rewarding one lucky winner with a trip to New York City to meet the SNL actor, plus $25,000 and tickets to an unnamed “late-night comedy show.” (Unlike the bulk of ad campaigns that SNL stars have starred in during the show’s 50th season, Dollar’s collaboration with Day is independent of the legendary sketch show.)
The new Dollar spots are Day’s second ad campaign to emerge in the last month. The SNL star recently partnered with the discount hair salon Great Clips for a series of March Madness-themed TV spots that aired during the NCAA DI Mens and Womens Tournaments.
Dollar’s centerpiece ad with Mikey Day as The Common Sensei can be viewed at the top of this post. Other installments follow below.
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