Production in a pandemic: Weetabix creates two ads during lockdown

Aug 19, 2020 | Ad tech, Content marketing, CPG, FMCG digital marketing, FMCG digital marketing food and beverages, Online advertising, Online video

Production in a pandemic: Weetabix creates two ads during lockdown
Weetabix has launched two video ads rolled out on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube this summer, created during lockdown.

The ads were created by agency Frank and Jist Studios, posing the question to consumers ‘Have you had your Weetabix?’

Whilst people weren’t necessarily ‘on the go’ during lockdown, two thirds of Weetabix On the Go’s consumption is in the home, so it felt like a really relevant time to showcase how the drinks brand fits into lives – whatever scenario we find ourselves in.

Concepted, produced and edited in just six weeks, the ad was filmed entirely using Go Pros, with remote direction from the Jist team.

The final 20” ad has a bespoke music track and a spoken word ‘On The Go’ poem, accompanying a series of clips depicting at home workouts, a school teacher on a break, a busy hospital worker and someone working from home. Additional footage was captured to create social content to help illustrate how Weetabix On the Go fits into a diverse range of lifestyles.

The second ad was for Weetabix Flavours and was filmed on location as restrictions began to lift, following government and APA guidelines. To highlight the range of flavours available, the ad used visual effects to bring to life the taste explosions consumers experience with Weetabix Flavours.

Head of Brand Weetabix, Gareth Turner, said: “It’s been great to partner with Frank as we continue to invest in the breadth of the Weetabix portfolio. Agile, creative and tireless in their desire to create content which delivered against our objectives, the team at Frank remained sensitive and relevant to the current situation without compromising the longevity of the ads. We’re delighted with the quality of the output and are looking forward to seeing how it lands with our consumers.”

Jennie Thomson, Head of Social, Content & Influencers at Frank added: “Never ones to shy away from a challenge, we relished the chance to rip up the rule book and think about how we could continue to put Weetabix at the heart of the nation’s homes when we’re all spending so much time in them! Who said lockdown stops play? It just forced us and our trusted production partners, Jist Studios, to get even more creative.”

Jon Stroud, Creative Director at Jist Studios said: “Lockdown really did stop us in our tracks. Not being precious about ripping up and starting again allowed us to achieve great creative in a challenging environment. Asking contributors to operate kit themselves kept the consumer at the heart of the story in a really authentic way that we might not have done had we not been in this situation. Although directing scenes via FaceTime and WhatsApp is a very new experience!”

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