A 70th anniversary in the auto-service category isn’t usually a moment for swagger. Most brands at that age reach for warm heritage spots, photo montages of greasy hands and grateful customers, a reminder that they’ve been around.
Where Eagles Dare went a different way. The Pittsburgh indie shop, led by founder and CCO Brian Franks, won Midas‘ creative AOR business in early 2025 with a pitch built on confidence: use the song everyone remembers, cast the bully nobody could shake, build the whole thing like an ’80s training montage, with a catchy tag that states: “Midas is the best.”
A pitch built on a song you already know
Franks comes from fashion and retail — more than 20 years at American Eagle Outfitters, where he worked alongside Paul Elliott, now Midas’ SVP of marketing. The reunion gave Where Eagles Dare a foothold in the pitch, but the win came from the idea itself.
“How do we come out in a confident stance?” Franks said of the team’s instinct. The answer was “You’re the Best” — the Karate Kid anthem still pulsing through the final season of Cobra Kai — paired with a 30-second introduction to a new Midas character: a relentless, ninja-precise master technician played by William Zabka.
Licensing the whole Karate Kid (yes, all of it)
The song sounds like a needle-drop. The legal lift was anything but. “You’re the Best” was a work-for-hire for The Karate Kid, which meant Sony Pictures owned part of the master. To clear it, Where Eagles Dare had to license the Karate Kid IP itself — an extra hurdle most 30-second spots don’t face.
It took over a year to bring everything together. Production partner Art Class brought in a new director duo, Black Coffee, who clicked immediately with the agency’s sense of humor and ’80s reverence. Post house Overture handled the finish.
Zabka kicked the car. That part wasn’t in the script.
Zabka — finally cast as the hero instead of the bully — showed up loose, generous and full of ideas. The car kick at the end of the spot, the one fueling endless social cutdowns? Completely improvised on set.
“It was a really synergistic, fun project,” Franks said. “Literally when I left the set, I was just buzzing.”
Nashville, of all places
The shoot landed in Nashville for three reasons. Midas had just opened a new location there. Art Class had local crew relationships. And Zabka lives in town — no drastic travel required. Franks expected to import talent from New York or LA. Instead, local stylists, prop people and crew turned in work that was, in his words, “as good as anything we get in New York and L.A.”
The Reddit reaction Franks didn’t see coming
The Cobra Kai community piled on, as expected. The How I Met Your Mother subreddit was the surprise — fans cross-pollinating Zabka content from across his career, sharing the spot organically. “I did not see some of that coming,” Franks said. “That’s been probably the biggest surprise.”
How to sell in work this bold
Franks’ rule for pitches in unfamiliar categories: study the benchmarks, find the enemy, bring the brand into the culture conversation. Auto service didn’t offer much to be inspired by. So Where Eagles Dare made Midas the one to beat.
“Take the brand risk,” he said. “Swing for the fences.” Every rule needs a favorite violation. This one came with a karate gi.
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