Clif Bar Furthers the Battle Between Snack Bar Brands in First National TV Spot

It’s 2019, which means the war between snack bar brands is officially a thing we’re being subjected to. Just a few months back, Clif Bar & Company took out an ad in The New York Times to call out snack bar rival Kind for not using organic ingredients, encouraging the brand to make the switch (Kind, ironically, didn’t take kindly to it). Now Clif Bar is back with a campaign that touts the 27-year-old brand’s “approach to running a sustainable food company,” which is firmly in line with its commitment to using organic ingredients. The work comes from Callen, the two-year-old Austin shop that’s backed by Wieden + Kennedy. The campaign includes two versions of an anthem spot, both of which feature a Clif Bar spokesperson (who we later find out is a real-life version of its climbing man logo) using his quirky sense of humor to extol the brand’s virtues, like its dedication to the planet and its people. [kickout id="1"] According to Clif Bar’s All Aspirations Annual Report, the brand has the stats to back its claims up: It uses 100% green power for electricity at all Clif Bar facilities and has purchased more than 1 billion pounds of organic ingredients since 2003. Additionally, the company’s employees are all eligible to become owners through an employee stock ownership program. “To us, values don’t just live on a conference room wall; they drive every decision we make,” said Kit Crawford, co-CEO of Clif Bar. “We hope that this campaign gets people talking and acting on how their food choices can make a positive impact in the world.” The campaign is running under the tagline “Make it good.” The ads will first air during the NBA playoffs, and the national campaign will extend to live events, cinemas and across major media outlets throughout June. Craig Allen, founder and chief creative officer at Callen, said the agency’s goal was to “make something as unique and great” as the company itself. “Doing a campaign with Clif about ‘Make it good’ was easy. They’ve been doing that for years, and we just had to find a fun and interesting way to remind the world. Our approach was a unique take on simple, bringing the Clif climber to his natural habitat: the forest, the mountains, nature.” CREDITS: Agency: CALLEN Founder & CCO: Craig Allen Founder & MD: Holly Petitjean CD: Brandon Mugar Writer: Kyle Davis Art Director: Matt Nall Brand Director: Kelly Marshall Brand Coordinator: Tara Stein Producer: Mary Ellen Farrar Client: Clif Bar & Company Founder & Co-CEO: Gary Erickson Founder & Co-CEO: Kit Crawford VP, Creative: John Park Senior Creative Director: John Marin VP, Clif Brand: Dan Hickle Brand Director: Dai Deh Advertising Director: Mike Cobb Senior Director Integrated Marketing: Lauren Hatfield Production: Biscuit Director: Andreas Nilsson Managing Director: Shawn Lacy Executive Producer: Holly Vega Producer: Jay Veal Production Designer: Paul Austerberry Editorial: MackCut Editor: Gavin Cutler Executive Producer: Gina Pagano Assistant Editor: Pamela Petruski VFX: Kevin ECD/Partner: Tim Davis Executive Producer/Partner: Sue Troyan VFX Producer: Jami Schakel Sound Design: Lime Studios Sound design/Mix: Loren Silber Original Score: Matti Bye