After parting ways with creative AOR Droga5 back in March of 2015 in favor of “more in-house and project-based agency partners,” Greek yogurt brand Chobani moved on to work with Opperman Weiss on a series of campaigns including one launched less than two months following the Droga5 breakup, an effort supporting its Simply 100 line and a “No Bad Stuff” campaign centered around the 2016 Summer Olympics. Last July the brand also named Leland Maschmeyer as its first chief creative officer.
While it continues to avoid the AOR model, this past September Chobani selected Wieden + Kennedy as its new lead creative agency, and also appointed Lisa Gralnek as vice president of emerging platforms and Kwame Taylor-Hayford as managing director, head of creative technology and integrated production.
This week, W+K Portland debuted its first broadcast brand campaign for the client, centered around a 30-second spot directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind, Dave Chappelle’s Block Party). The spot features a performance of “What The World Needs Now Is Love,” the Burt Bacharach/Hal David song first popularized by Jackie DeShannon. The catch? It’s performed on instruments made of fruit by actual Chobani employees.
It’s an odd approach, to say the least. Not only does it miss a chance to better utilize its star director, it doesn’t do much to differentiate the brand along the way to its “Food Brings Us Together” tagline.
The broadcast campaign is supported by a ““Believe in Food” microsite with more info on Chobani’s ads and the profiles of the employee musicians in the spot. That could come in handy if you’re ever in need of a cover band that performs entirely with fruit-powered instruments. We just want to know what happens to a banana vibraphone once the fruit starts to rot, though.
The effort follows a product-focused campaign from W+K back in February, promoting Chobani Flip with a look at individual flavors.
Credits:
Client: Chobani
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy Portland
Campaign: “Fruit Symphony”
Creative Directors: Chris Groom, Antony Goldstein
Copywriter: Antony Goldstein
Art Director: Chris Groom
Integrated Production Director: Matt Hunnicutt
Producer: Erin Goodsell
Production Assistant: Candice Harbour
Account Director: Trish Adams
Account Supervisor: Kimmy Cunningham
Account Executive: Lindsey Warner
Business Affairs Manager: Teresa Lutz
Project Manager: Carolyn Domme
Production Company: Partizan
Director: Michel Gondry
Executive Producer: Lisa Tauscher
Line Producer: Raffi Adlan
Director of Photography: Shawn Kim
Editorial Company: Final Cut LA
Editor: Jeff Buchanan
Post Producer: Sarita D’Avignon
Post Executive Producer: Suzy Ramirez
Color / Finish Company: The Mill
Flame Lead: James Allen
Nuke: Jason Bergman
Associate Producer: Chris Lewis
Senior Producer: Chris Harlowe
Colorist: Adam Scott
Telecine Producer: Diane Valera
Titles/Graphics: Wieden+Kennedy
Composer: Jon Brion
Engineer: Eric Cadieux / Greg Koller
Song: “What the World Needs Now”
Producer: Raffi Adlan
Mix: Company Eleven
Mixer: Jeff Payne