This song-and-dance, tongue-in-cheek music video pits the meat eating animals against their vegetarian counterparts, the common bond being that they make their home at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Columbus, Ohio. Part of the “Herbivores vs. Carnivores” campaign created and produced by Ron Foth Advertising in Columbus, this video stars animals of all kinds, real zoo docents and the zoo’s director emeritus, Jungle Jack Hanna.
Driving the action is a “Herbivores vs. Carnivores” song which agency creative director Ron Foth Jr., who also directed the piece, described as being “a friendly, back-and-forth tug-of-war for bragging rights between plant eaters and meat eaters – and the keepers who love them. Zoo employees are always asked, ‘What do those animals eat?’ This campaign answers that in a fun, memorable way. There’s plenty of science and education in the lyrics, but it’s entertaining too. It’s a mix of old school 90s hip hop, Animal Planet and ‘Hamilton,’ The Musical.”
Lyrics describe the attributes of different zoo animals in boastful, yet playful rhymes. For instance, when describing Big Hank, the largest elephant in North America, the song warns: “Herbivores, that’s who’s leadin’, ‘Cause you don’t wanna mess with a 7-ton vegan.”
