White Lotus Stars Make Musical Pitch for Venmo

With Aimee Lou Wood, Patrick Schwarzenegger

In a fresh :60, White Lotus stars Aimee Lou Wood and Patrick Schwarzenegger kick up their heels for Venmo:

Like the song says, with Venmo’s app, “You can pay for this, or you can pay for that.” It’s a reimagined version of Black Sheep’s 1991 hit “The Choice Is Yours.”

Venmo parent PayPal covered similar territory with Will Ferrell, memorably remaking a pair of Fleetwood Mac tunes in recent commercials.

72andSunny handled creative development.

Wood and Schwarzenegger make an appealing commercial pair, cast in large part for their Gen-Z cred.

Even the canned quotes are cute:

“As an entrepreneur, I’m really serious about my ‘rewards game.’ So, it’s a win that I can earn cash back when I pay with the Venmo debit card. I love a rewards hack,” Patrick says in campaign materials.

“As an Aquarius, I tend to be quite clever with money, so I love that you can earn some serious cash back when you spend your balance with the Venmo Debit Card—that means another astrology reading for me,” adds Wood.

“Part of what makes the concept special is that it’s not a solo adventure—but a duo,” 72andSunny L.A. ECD Lauren Smith tells Muse. “Venmo has its origins in peer-to-peer payment, so having real friends was a must. And their natural chemistry and charm fuels the fun. Second, these two are having such a moment together in culture, and reuniting them was rewarding to fans.”

“We shot the gradient scene first, and it was the culmination moment of the film, so we could start seeing the vibe of where we’d end before shooting everything else,” Smith recalls.

“Additionally, the music brings the campaign to life. It’s a song that will get stuck in your head because you like it and gravitate to it as it feels new” thanks to the re-recording, she adds.

Tajana Tokyo directed through Somesuch. She’s had dance experience—including Apple promo work for Rihanna at the Super Bowl. So her skillset seemed particularly apt.

“She thinks in personality first, then dance, and then literally choreographs the camera around in a dance WITH her dancers,” Smith says. “It’s a very special effect. And she makes everyone come alive on set with her infectious energy.”