“Vending”

One of the joys of travel is sampling local food fare. And this new branding campaign for the Travel Channel shows just how adventurous some menus can be in an attention-grabbing spot for Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. What starts as an average vending-machine purchase turns macabre when the snack food of choice turns out to be a raw cow’s heart. The spot begins with Zimmern putting his dollar bill into the machine, while a woman peruses other snacks available nearby. A quick glance at the food reveals it’s not the average cookies and chips on sale — rows are filled with pre-packaged fish and lamb heads. The man’s selection finally drops and the he cracks open the plastic packaging, as the nearby woman looks on. A close-up of a fist-sized heart primes viewers for the upcoming gross-out moment as he lifts the fleshy mass out of the packaging – explains to his companion that it’s a “cow’s heart” — and takes a hearty bite. The woman gags in disgust and leaves the man to his unusual lunch. “One man’s weird is another man’s wonderful,” explains the voiceover. The spot makes your stomach turn and that’s the point. It’s just the kind of reaction viewers probably get from watching the show, and it’s an entertaining enough tease to send curiosity seekers flocking to the channel to find out exactly who serves up raw cow hearts as the delicacy of the day.–Eleftheria Parpis