A Carl’s Jr. Original Thickburger is the survival item of choice for a woman who’s sojourning the wild–with a male companion–in this integrated promo tying Carl’s Jr. to the Discovery Channel reality competition series Naked and Afraid. The comedic premise was brought to life by the Discovery Channel’s integrated marketing team–led by VP, branded entertainment, Jennifer Pennybacker–and collaborative partner 2C Creative whose prime contributors included director/creative director Brian Eloe and chief creative officer Chris Sloan.
The Naked and Afraid competitors’ nudity is strategically camouflaged through camera angles, well placed props–and special wardrobe that looks like skin once blurred in postproduction.
The very nature of Naked and Afraid required actors who could embody the show’s spirit and weren’t afraid to perform almost completely unclothed, making casting an essential step. Despite the comedic quality of the spot, these actors still had to be believable as actual contestants. This brought the production to Los Angeles, where 2C and Discovery had access to both a large concentration of talent and a rugged location—Soledad Canyon—known for terrain capable of mimicking something straight out of South America.
“It’s always a unique challenge to straddle the promo and advertising worlds, especially when a brand like Carl’s Jr. isn’t one people would immediately associate with Naked and Afraid, so finding a concept that complemented both brands was our goal,” said 2C’s Eloe. “Yet, having collaborated closely with Jenn Penn [Pennybacker] and her team on other tough, co-branding projects, we had already built a rapport and confidence in each other to be successful.”
The Naked and Afraid/Carl’s Jr. project marks the third such integrated promo collaboration between 2C and Discovery Channel, which have also paired up for different “Shark Week” integrated campaigns.
