Plant-based food brand NotCo, in collaboration with creative agency GUT Mexico City, debuted this campaign film titled “Not So Happy Animals,” which focuses on raising awareness and promoting the adoption of a plant-based diet.
“Not So Happy Animals” follows the satirical stories of several animals–a chicken, a cow, a pig, and more, cheerily singing about their sad and tragic lifes, while being marketed and pictured as happy. Towards the end of the video, the campaign provides a call-to-action that starting today, anyone in the U.S. can go to nothappy.com and scan animal logos commonly found in public spaces. When they scan the logos, they are brought to life using AR and reveal a message about the animal in the form of a song. People will also be directed to discover and purchase one of the NotCo plant based products created by chefs with the help of AI.
“We frequently find restaurants, butcher shops and even frozen food brands that use happy animals in their logos. We are so used to seeing this in advertising that we often overlook the reality behind those smiles. The idea for this campaign was born from questioning: what would really make these animals happy?” shared Guido Donadio and Sebastian Regiani, ECDs at GUT, in a joint statement.
“We know that a campaign with these levels of irony and a simple but powerful insight is not common. As a result, we created the nothappy.com application, with the mission to provide people with the necessary tools to actively participate in the campaign (via the webapp) and invite them to try our products with a discount. At GUT, we believe that no provocation is complete without providing a space where people can take concrete actions, so we thought this would be a perfect way to do that,” said Ramiro Rodriguez Cohen, CCO at GUT.
Behind the campaign were production house PRIMO Mexico and animation studio BITT with Javier Laurenco and Alvaro Ortega Bianchi serving as animation directors.
CreditsClient NotCo Agency GUT Mexico City Ramiro Rodriguez Cohen, chief creative officer; Sebastian Regiani, executive creative director, copywriter; Guido Donadio, executive creative director, art director; Guido Donadio, Sebastian Regiani, Jeffrey Schermer, Rachel Fund, Saimon Arce, lyrics; Paula Sanchez, head of production; Francis Pena, sr. producer; Geraldine Salcedo, content lead; Manuel Montes de Oca, Marcela Chávez & Marco Antonio Carranza, animator webapp; Pablo Peña & Marco Antonio Carranza, illustrator webapp. Production Company PRIMO Mexico Martin Jalfen, Mike Usandivaras, directors; Jaime Videl, managing director; Omar Uscanga, production director; Odille Mondragon, exec producer; Mariano Monti, DP; German Zecchi, 1st AD; Lucia Rodriguez, art director. Production Services, Uruguay Metanoia Giacomo Prestinar, editor; Ellas Post, Daniela Balcazar, postproduction coordinator. Animation Company BITT Javier Laurenco, Álvaro Ortega Bianchi, animation directors; Pilar Ramirez, Mariela Fabregas, heads of production; Guada Tellado, exec producer; Julia NOvio, producer; Mailen Gayosa, coordination. Music Papa Music Color Correction Nadia Khairat, colorist. Augmented Reality Agency Genosha Martin Rabaglia, tech director; Paula Martinez, project manager; Lautaro Sanchez, UX design; Belen Rosati, visual designer; Juan Cruz Rabaglia, Angela “Volko” Curzi, AR developers; Lautaro Gennari, QA
Top Spot of the Week: EHRAC, Animation Studio NOMINT Depict Life “In Limbo” As Families Search For Loved Ones
This animated film titled In Limbo depicts the journey of a heroic woman protagonist representing the countless families in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe (where Chechnya is situated) searching for their forcibly disappeared loved ones. Utilizing theatrical elements, the film highlights the unnatural disruption caused by enforced disappearances and delves into the profound trauma these families endure. It emphasizes their long battles with the domestic authorities as they seek answers. The film also underscores the vital role of community support in helping these families cope and continue their fight for answers, serving as a compelling call to action for justice and human rights.
Through intimate storytelling, In Limbo raises awareness of the ongoing uncertainty that leaves families in a perpetual state of limbo, unable to find closure.
Directed by Afterman--the animation duo consisting of Tsvetelina Zdraveva and Jerred North--and created and produced by London-based animation studio NOMINT, In Limbo was commissioned by the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC).
In a joint statement, Zdraveva and North shared, “Our film takes place on a theater stage, highlighting how such tragedies are far removed from ordinary life,” they continued. “The stage is circular, resembling an artificial, perpetually spinning obstacle course, with a target—the red tail lights—just within sight yet never within reach, symbolizing the family’s never-ending quest for justice.”
“We used a limited primary color palette to contrast the two worlds all families are pulled between. Minimalist compositions of starkly silhouetted characters and environments create the ominous atmosphere of a deeply painful and... Read More