The frozen food aisle of the supermarket tends to be thought of as the convenience food aisle. The compromise aisle. But J. Walter Thompson Melbourne is making the Birds Eye Deli chip range that lives there stand apart.
And it does so in a way that you have to watch with its We prep. You cook campaign. The agency shows the craft of transforming the humble spud into a Birds Eye chip with extraordinary craftspeople – including the potato beautifier, the topiarist, the eccentric chip cutter and the Arctic mountaineer roaster – working in six different and whimsical worlds.
J. Walter Thompson Melbourne creative director, Jess Lilley, explained, “We wanted to develop a creative platform for Deli that shifts people’s perceptions of the frozen food aisle. The concept of ‘prep’ moves the conversation to one of choice over convenience. With Simon Harsent directing, we were able to beautifully execute our pride in the creation of a bloody tasty chip.”
Harsent created six different sets at Fox Studios for shoot with meticulous attention to detail. All featured 7m x 3m hanging backdrops that were propped out mid-ground with working mechanical sets, for example. This created depth within the dioramas and gave each scene an added level of craft and quality. The music was also composed with the same care, layering sounds to create a rhythmic soundscape connecting the scenes. One ton of dirt and 320 potatoes were used to create the finished video.
Birds Eye marketing general manager, Suzanne Harman, commented, “We really loved collaborating with JWT to bring the We prep. You cook story to life. It really dials up the attention we put into each step of the process, and enabled us to make heroes out of every day cooks.”
We prep. You cook includes 1 x 30sec TVC, 1 x 15sec TVC, POS, OOH and social.
Credits:
Creative Agency: J. Walter Thompson Melbourne
Executive Creative Director: Kieran Antill
Creative Director: Jess Lilley
Senior Creatives: Katie Moore & Nicholas Sellars
Senior Designer: Jess Van De Vlierd
Senior Planner: Brigitte Bayard
Group Account Director: Jessica Johnson
Account Manager: Emma Rutherford-Ward
Producer: Sandi Gracin
Production Company: The Pool Collective
Director: Simon Harsent
Executive Producer: Cameron Gray
Producer: Ian Ford
DoP: Simon Ozolins
Music: Declan Harsent
Art Director: Jamie Morris
Wardrobe: Janai Anselmi
Post Production: Dave Whittaker @ The Editors
Client: Birds Eye
Brand Manager: Laine Birnbaum
Marketing Communications Manager: Evonne Williams
Marketing Communications and Branding Manager: Justin Taylor
General Manager, Marketing: Suzanne Harman
Media: Initiative
