The really human moments in life are often messy. We cry. We spill stuff. Poop, blood, snot – and on one special occasion, wedding cake, end up in all the wrong places.

Canadian agency, Broken Heart Love Affair (don’t you want to know the story behind that name?!), has made a campaign out of all those human moments for Kruger Products L.P., the maker of toilet paper, tissues and paper towels (Cashmere, Purex, SpongeTowels and Scotties) – a campaign called Unapologetically Human, that is strikingly different from the usual paper products advertising.

https://youtu.be/9eHnsXSIPjY

Broken Heart Love Affair partner and chief creative officer, Denise Rossetto, commented, “We are grateful that Kruger Products had the courage to go where most brands fear to tread, capturing what it truly means to be human without glossing over the role their brands play in our lives. While most brands shy away from that, this spot embraces our humanity and breaks out of what is expected in the category.”

The campaign is the first brand spot created by Broken Heart Love Affair since the agency opened in late March. It includes a 90-second online film, and a 60-second commercial, along with 15-second spots for each of the brands in both English and French, as well as a series of social ads.

“This is a departure for our brands from the typical category approach,” stated Kruger Products chief marketing officer, Susan Irving. “We wanted to remind Canadians that, despite our differences, we are all human. We cry, we bleed, we use the bathroom. Our brands are there for all of that and we aren’t shying away from it. In fact, this commercial really is an expression of gratitude for all of those gloriously real human moments which Cashmere, Purex, SpongeTowels and Scotties are part of every day.”

“We believe our role as an agency is not to simply tell the brand story to the consumer,” explained Broken Heart Love Affair partner and chief strategy officer, Jay Chaney. “Quite the opposite. It is to understand the consumer’s story and find the right place for the brand to fit in. Unapologetically Human, as our first campaign, is really the manifestation of our philosophy.”

The English commercial is directed by award-winning Canadian storyteller, Mark Zibert, and set to the track, Human, by British recording artist Rag ‘n Bone Man. The French Commercial features Passer a l’ouest by Quebec singer Dumas. Production took place in Vancouver mid-July starring real families.

“The brief was simple and strong with words like ‘raw’ and ‘unapologetic’ making it easy to get behind the idea and leaving room for interpretation and collaboration,” commented Zibert. “Of course, there were all kinds of challenges and limitations that we had to work around within the Covid-19 safety framework but everyone rallied together to find solutions. It allowed us to not only make the end result great, but also make the process of getting there great with Kruger Products and Broken Heart Love Affair.”

And the name, Broken Heart Love Affair? It’s because the agency is a passion project by industry veterans, Jason Chaney, Carlos Moreno, Denise Rossetto, Todd Mackie and Beverley Hammond, who came together to “bring back the love of advertising to clients, consumers and the creative community”.

Credits:

Agency: Broken Heart Love Affair

Creative Team: Carlos Moreno, Denise Rossetto & Todd Mackie

Strategy: Jay Chaney

Agency Producer: Erica Metcalfe

Production Company: Scouts Honour

Director: Mark Zibert

Executive Producers: Rita Popielak & Simon Dragland

Line Producer: Matt MacLennan

Directors of Photography: Mark Zibert & Eric Kaskens

Additional Photography: Chris Woods

Casting: Shasta Lutz @ Jigsaw

Editing: Graham Chisholm @ Married To Giants

Colour: Wade Odlum @ Alter Ego

VFX & Finishing: Sean Cochrane @ The Vanity

Audio: Joey Serlin @Vapor Music

French Music Supervision & Music Rights Clearance: Francois Lechance

Agency Team: Joline Matika & Mae Thomas

Client: Kruger Products L.P.

Chief Marketing Officer: Susan Irving

Vice President Bathroom Tissue: Stephen Blythe

Vice President Sustainability & US Marketing: Steven Sage

Corporate Director, Marketing: Oliver Bukvic

Corporate Director, Marketing: Kristina Koprivica