An animated video from O’Charley’s restaurants that celebrates the soft rolls that are customer favorites is featured in the chain’s new advertising campaign, which broke on TV Jan. 21 and online Jan. 28.
The animated video began as a book created by The Buntin Group/Nashville and was transformed into a video that plays at www.therolls.com. Studio 11 Productions/Nashville produced the video.
The TV campaign features three :30s that focus on the rolls, including one in which a woman’s dress gets tangled in an escalator before a basket of rolls appears to save the day. “The rolls come in from off camera and change the situation from bad to good or good to great,” said Matt Horton, executive creative director at The Buntin Group.
The TV campaign is extended with the website that features a game that challenges visitors to slice a roll, and the animated fable. “We wrote a storybook first that features the roll that tries harder than any other roll,” he said. “We took it to the web and put the book online.”
The two-minute-and-thirty-second animation includes text from the book and images of the smiling roll, which appears on a baking sheet before bouncing around the screen amidst images of O’Charley’s servers and a happy family.
The video never mentions O’Charley’s, which Horton said was done to “keep it intriguing. It sucks in viewers more. It’s all about the user experience. The minute you hold up your banner, you lose people.” He said the O’Charley’s name is featured on other areas of the site.
Miki Lekic, who owns Studio 11 Productions, said the animated video was created in Flash, based on illustrations by Devan Todd, the designer at The Buntin Group.
The video will also run at YouTube. The TV spots feature the web address to drive viewers to the animated video.
O’Charley’s is a chain of 237 restaurants in the Southeast and Midwest.
Where The Buffalo Roam Signs Director Geordie Stephens For Spots and Branded Content
Production company Where The Buffalo Roam (WTBR) has signed director Geordie Stephens for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. Stephens is known for his subtle performance-driven comedic style, emphasizing art direction, production design, and cinematography. Previously represented by Tool of North America, Bullitt and FANCY, Stephens has a commercial portfolio which includes such global brands as Mini Cooper, HP, Toyota, Bud Light, and Burger King. A former agency creative, Stephens transitioned to the director’s chair following a lengthy career on the agency side as a creative at Butler, Shine & Stern and CP+B Miami, among other shops.
PJ Koll, WTBR co-founder and executive producer, said of Stephens, “His expertise and talent perfectly complement our creative strengths, enhancing our ability to deliver at the highest level. We feel incredibly fortunate to have him join the herd.”
“When I met Tim [WTBR exec producer Pries] and PJ, we immediately hit it off,” added Stephens. “They’re super sharp, funny, and good people who have assembled a very interesting mix of talent with different skills. As a director, I’m always looking for simple human truths that everyone can relate to in a humorous and smart way. The Buffalo team specializes in the small wink, so they get my sense of humor and will give me the platform to keep pushing great work forward.”
During his advertising career, Stephens spearheaded campaigns for IKEA, Truth, Virgin Atlantic, Burger King, Sprite, and Volkswagen. His work also won top prizes at the Cannes Lions and Clios and has been honored by numerous One Show and AICP awards.
Raised in an artistic community in California’s Marin County by his writer-mother and... Read More