Soup’s on! Consider that the battle cry for the Massachusetts Governor’s Committee on Physical Fitness & Sports in this :30 directed by Tom Foley via Independent Media, Santa Monica, for agency Hill Holliday, Boston.
We open on a boy–played by Moises Arias–who walks into the kitchen, grabs a chair and stands on it to open a top cupboard. For a fleeting moment, we think we’ve been thrust into a cereal commercial, with the youngster going to great heights to reach his desired breakfast.
However, he pushes the cereal box aside to grab an oversized can of soup. The lad then picks up a second can. Maybe it’s lunchtime and we’re watching a spot for Campbell’s. But enough of the conjecture about meal and menu–clearly, his going to extremes to reach the cans is for a reason that’s not yet readily apparent, as evidenced by the fact that there’s nary a can opener in sight.
No longer needing the chair, he hops down, stands up straight and picks up a can of soup in each hand. He then lifts the cans as if they were mini-barbells. The boy lifts them repeatedly, at which point a super describes the kitchen workout we’re witnessing as simply “Soup curls.”
A voiceover intervenes, “For more fun and easy ways to exercise, log onto everybodymove.org.”
A modest super identifies the sponsor bringing us this message: The Massachusetts Governor’s Committee on Physical Fitness & Sports.
Titled “Soup Curls,” this spot is one of two in the “Everybody Move” campaign, the other ad being “Mitten Boxing.” In the latter :30, a girl grabs a pair of oversized mittens hanging next to a coat. She places them on her hands and then walks upstairs. The girl opens the window drapes to let in the sun, setting the stage for a spirited bout of shadow boxing. The mittens have become boxing gloves as the girl enjoys her workout. “Mitten Boxing” also advises those interested in physical fitness to find different ways to exercise on the everybodymove.org Web site.
The campaign is designed to motivate youngsters age 8 to 14 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to exercise. The push coincides with May being National Fitness & Sports Month. The Governor’s everybodymove.org site contains fitness tips, fun exercises, and a calendar of May events in Massachusetts, including organized walks and 5k runs.
The Hill Holliday creative team on the ad campaign consisted of creative director Kevin Moehlenkamp, art director Dave Gardiner, copywriter Joe Berkeley and producer Scott Hainline.
Susanne Preissler executive produced for Independent Media, with Naia Hall serving as producer. The DP was Wally Pfister.
Editor was Joel Walker of Bubble, Hill Holliday’s in-house editing studio. Chris Ryan of Nice Shoes, New York, was the colorist. Audio mixer was Brian Heidebrecht of Soundtrack, Boston.
