PETA doesn’t mince words. “Octopuses are extremely intelligent, sensitive creatures. If you eat them you’re basically a cannibal,” it states in its new campaign.

This warning is housed in a parody video by Grey London that warns against eating octopus. If you do, the 90-second spot says, you risk falling prey to the octocurse. The octocurse gives you three hearts, your blood runs blue, your head swells to octopus proportions, you have extreme emotions, you grow octopus eyes…

The film, which mimics sci-fi series from the ‘70s was directed by Jeff Low through Biscuit Filmworks UK and creative by Grey London creative directors, Cesar Herszkowicz and Alexandru Vasile, and creative, Cameron Sutherland. It is Grey Londond’s first work for PETA and is accompanied by a petition to block the development of the first octopus farm in Europe.

Vanessa Johansson, anti-speciesism project leader at PETA, stated, “We are busily searching for intelligent life in space while we still eat the thinking, feeling life forms on our own planet. Octopuses, for example, are capable of complex thought processes: they can navigate mazes, use tools, and learn how to do such things as unscrew lids simply by watching. Yet every year, hundreds of thousands of these clever cephalopods are killed in crude ways for a snack. Because it’s often hard to reach people with these simple facts, PETA has partnered with Grey London – to give viewers food for thought and encourage them to show kindness to these animals by leaving them off their plates.”

David Wiggleworth, executive creative director at Grey London, added, “PETA wanted one thing…for people to stop eating octopus. It’s a serious brief that we tackled with a silly answer; by creating a very ‘real’ curse. And that curse? If you eat one of these creatures, you will turn into one. An idea as dark and dumb as this needed one man to bring it to life, my fiendishly funny friend Jeff Low. Huge thanks to him and Biscuit for helping us realise this madness. Stay Human people. Don’t eat Octopus.”

The film launched on October 19 in the UK and the US, with content shared globally on PETA-owned channels.

Credits:

Client: PETA UK
Vice President of Programmes: Elisa Allen
Anti-Speciesism Project Leader: Vanessa Johansson

Creative Agency: Grey London
Global Chief Creative Officer: Javier Campopiano
President & Chief Creative Officer London: Laura Jordan Bambach
Executive creative Director: David Wigglesworth
Head of Art: Costanza Rossi
Creative Directors: Cesar Herszkowicz & Alexandru Vasile
Creative: Cameron Sutherland
Chief Strategy Officer: Raquel Chicourel
Planner: Asad Shayk
Joint Managing Director: Jonny Tennant-Price
New Business Director: Katherine Goodale
Group Business Director: Ayesha Datoo
Executive Producer: Maxine Hose
Senior Producer: Anthony Borkett
Head of Design: Sunir Patel
Designer: Stuart Leung

Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks
Director Jeff Low 
Producer: Kwok Yau
Executive Producer: Samantha Chitty
Managing Director & Executive Producer: Rupert Reynolds-Maclean
Head of Production: Polly du Plessis
Production Manager: Thom Green
DOP: Matthew Emvin Taylor
Production: Design Lucie Red

Editing Company (offline): Shift Post
Post-Production: Untold
Editor: Saam Hodivala
Colourist: Julien Alary
VFX Supervisor: Alex Kulikov
VFX Artists: Michael Korniltsev, Felicia Petersen, Lucas Girault, Lewis Hodd
Online Supervisor: Richard Harris
Executive Producer: Ian Berry
Producer: George Reid
Audio Post-Production: 750mph