Wagamama’s founding philosophy is that food doesn’t just feed our belly, it nourishes our soul. MullenLowe recognised the power of this ethos right at the beginning of the wellbeing movement in June 2018. The agency’s first campaign, True Nourishment, a mix of live action and anime, captured the feeling of food as true nourishment and set it apart from other casual food options.
The agency has now created a new illustrated campaign. Like its predecessor, Bowl to Soul draws on wagamama’s association with Japanese food. The anime-style animation for the ad in partnership with Danish anime director, Mads Broni, and Passion Animation Studios.
The new spot illustrates the wagamama philosophy by showing the restorative sensation of eating wagamama food. After tasting her first bite, the protagonist tumbles into a magical land filled with flowing rivers of ramen, undulating coriander fields and exploding fireworks of spice. The campaign aims to attract new customers by creating a distinctive campaign that focuses on the feeling inspired by the food, not just the food itself, making the chain stand out from its competitors
The anime-inspired commercial was created through a combination of hand-drawn and computer illustrated artwork and combines a broad range of modern, diverse references and characters.
Mads Broni commented, “I’ve loved the challenge of using anime, a style associated with Asian environments, to show life in London. It’s been enjoyable to express my love of the style, respecting the tradition of anime animation and making it feel current, relevant and adventurous.”
https://youtu.be/usJ3oevuwBs
The music track was created music supervisor, Thirty Two Music, and artist, Invisible Minds.
Ross Farquhar, chief marketing officer at wagamama, commented, “wagamama has always been a keen student of Japan, and in the year in which the British public is set to widely fall in love with anime we’re delighted to be introducing the brand to a whole new audience through this beautiful art form. We’re proud to serve our guests with food that not only fills the belly but nourishes the soul, and this film brings that truth to life in such an immersive and distinctive way.”
Mark Elwood, creative and executive creative director at MullenLowe Group UK, added, “wagamama serves fresh food that makes you feel good from the bowl straight to your soul. Our director Mads Broni and Passion Animation Studios brought to life that feeling beautifully using the Japanese art of anime. What better fit for the restaurant that has helped bring that little bit of Japan and beyond to our high streets.”
Here is where the idea began:
Credits
Agency: MullenLowe London
Executive Creative Officer: Mark Elwood
Creatives: Ben Williams & Mark Elwood
Executive Partner: Phil Rumbol
Group Account Director: Maurice Pfister
Account Manager: Chris Morrogh
Strategist: Becky Geiringer
Producer: Vanessa Hunt
Production Company: Passion Animation Studios
Director: Mads Broni
Executive Producer: Luiza Cruz-Flade
Senior Producer: Elin Tiberg
2D Lead Artist: Jonghyun Jung
Compositing & Grade: Guillaume Le Roux
Sound Design: Wave
Lead Sound: Martin Leitner
Music Company: Thirty Two Music
Music Producer: Toby Slade-Baker
Client: wagamama
Chief Marketing Officer: Ross Farquhar
Marketing Director: Kay Bartlett
