Gut health isn’t usually visible. People pay attention to things they can visualise. And “beauty” is an attention magnet in advertising. So Droga5 Aotearoa turned the gut health bacteria in No Ugly Gut into art to show Kiwis how beauty starts on the inside.
The Bacteria That Grew a Campaign dials up the science credentials of in New Zealand wellness brand, No Ugly’s tonic range, No Ugly Gut in a uniquely artistic way by putting bacteria under the microscope to demonstrate the beauty of ‘good’ bacteria in your gut.
The campaign includes OOH, press and social, and is supported by a ‘making of’ film that talks to how the agency cultivated the bacteria for the purposes of the photo shoot.
To create the campaign visuals, Droga5 Aotearoa used agar plates as a canvas to cultivate bacterial growth. Using the real bacteria in No Ugly Gut, Bacillus coagulans, the team was able to bring out the beauty of the growth patterns to create the artworks.
Working with leading microbiologist, Dr Siouxsie Wiles, the team designed the bacterial growth to reflect the beauty of a thriving microbiome, demonstrating the natural beauty that exists inside when your gut is at its best.
Dr Siouxsie Wiles stated, “One of the things I like about doing these kinds of art projects is that when people hear the word bacteria, they often think of pandemics and disease. However, there are lots and lots of species of bacteria, and many of them are really good — many we couldn’t live without. I love that we can take something invisible and make it visible, to show just how beautiful bacteria can be.”
No Ugly director and co-founder, Aaron Taylor, added, “Our Gut tonic helps balance your microbiome, clearing out the bad bacteria so the good bacteria can thrive. Therefore, the purpose of our new work is to dial up our science credentials, while also demonstrating how beautiful ‘good’ bacteria in your gut can be. It’s all part of our mission to rid the wellness world from ugly.”
Droga5 Aotearoa chief creative officer, Damon Stapleton, commented, “No Ugly has always been about real health as opposed to some of the more extreme practices and values of the wellness industry. One of them being the obsession with external beauty. This campaign counters that thinking by showing that inner beauty is far more important by turning inner gut health into a literal work of art.
Credits:
Client: No Ugly
Director & Co-Founder: Aaron Taylor
General Manager: Sara Eichmann
Creative Agency: Droga5 Aotearoa, part of Accenture Song
Chief Executive Officer: Storm Day
Chief Creative Officer: Damon Stapleton
Associate Creative Directors: Liz Richards & Nick Dellabarca
Art Director: Zac Nairn
Copywriter: Casey Clarke
Creative Services Manager: Emma Smyth
General Manager & Head of Integrated Production: Rosie Grayson
Producer: Callum Crabb
Design Lead: Lucinda Fortescue-Hansen
Designer: Vivian Heng
Finished Artist: Lisa Stowers
Group Business Director: James Allan
Business Manager: Lily Tootill
Photographer: Victoria Baldwin
DoP: Fergus Cahill
Assistant: Anton Mauer
Retouching: Scott Nadin @ Sixty Four Ltd
