Though a majority of online initiatives reach out to the young men who spend a great deal of time online, General Mills’ Progresso Soup is behind a site meant to appeal to working women. To promote its microwavable bowls of soup, the company partnered with Publicis Dialog, New York, and Senza Pictures, New York, to create a “Soup Opera” at HomeSweetCube.com.
The site presents three plotlines with three acts each: “The Slipper Club,” “The Décor War” and “The Share.” All of the drama unfolds in the same office at the same time with each set of programming highlighting different co-workers. Ryan McFaul of Senza Pictures directed the work.
In the opening act of “The Slipper Club,” the cheerful and affectionate human resources director Edith welcomes the well-dressed Ed on his first day as a mail clerk. She also gives him a pair of slippers, which everyone in the office wears. The following acts allow us to watch as Ed settles into his new environment and finds his own way to stand out in the office.
At the end of each act, visitors to the site can choose to continue watching acts from the series they have selected or they can pursue an element in the video they just watched that ties into another series. For example, at the end of act one of “The Slipper Club,” you can find out why a woman who just ran past Ed is ignoring him, which will jump to act one of “The Share,” or continue on to the next installment of the series “The Slipper Club.”
“The Share” explores the relationship between Anne and Bob. These two characters share a cubicle, with Anne taking the morning shift and Bob working the afternoon, and they work as a team. As act one begins at 1:00 pm, Anne is closing up shop and greeting Bob as he comes in to begin his day at the desk. Anne is also quite taken with Bob, but the G-rated action between them is a far cry from the more adult expressions of lust played out during network soap operas.
To appeal to those who may want a catfight in the mix, there is “The Décor War,” which pits the austere, Zen-oriented Morgan against the doll-loving Heather who has the stuffed creatures packed into her neighboring cube.
“We believe “Home Sweet Cube” will appeal to a wide range of office dwellers, especially those enamored of character-driven material,” related Amol Dixit, who is part of the Progresso marketing team. “Some of the best loved comedies and dramas have been in a workplace setting.”
The site also features character-specific bonus material that viewers can access by scanning the respective character’s cubicles. In Morgan’s office you can search through her book of Zen ponderings where she contemplates questions like, “Why are there starving people in the world?” and “When am I going to get a raise?”
General Mills is also sponsoring a contest to find the real-world cubicle that feels most like home. Entrants, who are eligible to win cash prizes and supplies of soup, can send in a photo of their workspace and an essay describing their efforts to make it a homey environment.
“American workers are spending more time in the office than ever before,” Dixit pointed out. “So we wanted to create something that offers a taste of fun–quirky, lunch-break entertainment. At the same time, we also wanted to be able to reward those who go to great lengths to make their workspace feel a little cozier, like they are right at home.”
Credit at Publicis Dialog goes to Katherine Lumb, creative experience leader; Michael Maurillo, VP/management supervisor; Josh Hilliard, interactive project manager; and Bryan Russiano, senior VP/director of interactive services.
The aforementioned McFaul of Senza Pictures was also creator and editor. At Senza, additional credit goes to Brandi Savitt, producer/creator, and Michael McDonough, DP.
