Denny Meat Free range launched in 2019 to quickly become the fastest growing meat free brand in the country with their meat free sausage becoming number one in Ireland. The challenge is, as the range is new to market, the vast majority of people still don’t know about it and how great it are.
Rothco, part of Accenture Interactive really wanted to capture the overwhelmingly positive reaction Denny have had to their new meat-free range and actually lean into the fact that people are genuinely pleasantly surprised, if not a little shocked, at how good the product tastes!
To land the concept of it being ‘unbelievable’, it was important for Denny to work with talent outside of the category norms – we didn’t want this to be seen as products that only resonated with internet ‘foodies’, but rather something that was so surprisingly tasty it transcended that world and showed up in surprising scenarios too!
From a strategy perspective, the audience were clearly going to be situated heavily online during the ‘Veganuary’ period and thus an influencer lead approach was the chosen route. This meant we could also explore outside traditional AV which the brand has been best known for through the years. It was imperative that the content be entertaining and engaging given the platform we were live on and the talent we were engaged with, while also making sure that the product was at the heart of the messaging.
As the tagline ‘Unbelievable’ was the main focus of this campaign, we wanted this to transcend on screen by having two high profile Irish faces that wouldn’t normally cross paths, come together. From the acting world we have Derry Girl’s Jamie Lee O’Donnell and from the Influencer scene we have James Kavanagh – who come together in a “behind the scenes” style comedy skit that captures the interaction between these two very different people, while having Denny’s meat free range at the core of the piece.
Shooting across one day (including get-in and de-rig) was always going to be challenging, so it was clear that a simple multi-camera shooting approach was needed to capture all three scenes and this would, in turn, maximise useable content for the edit.
After blocking out a shot list in advance, shooting priority was then given to scenes that would ease our cast members into the comedy driven script. We also knew that in order to get the best performance from our non-actor cast members, a playful atmosphere on set would help ease any on-set nerves.
Stylistically, we captured each scene using a loose/hand-held camera technique that allowed for a less polished documentary feel to all three ads, but of course, this approach worked for this script.
In terms of lighting, we wanted to keep it simple. The lighting was generated from lights that were in the shot to give the “behind the scenes” feel to the piece. However, the lighting on the table where the food was located was dressed in a little bit more so the food looked well on camera.
“Shooting during the restrictions is much like love as portrayed by Phil Collins in his seminal 1982 hit: it’s a game of give and take," said Rob Maguire, Creative Director, Rothco, part of Accenture Interactive. "We were given several obstacles in the run up to production, but when we got the chance to work with two incredible talents, we took it. And thankfully for us, unlike the unfortunate protagonist of ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’, it payed off. We’re thrilled with the result, and chuffed to have done this unbelievable product justice.”
“The brief for our Denny Meat Free campaign was all about driving awareness & trial of our new range of meat free products, ensuring that consumers know they will get the same great taste they expect from Denny in a category that is not renowned for great tasting products," commented Julie Ann Twomey - Marketing Manager, Kerry Foods. "The Rothco team built a multi touch point plan anchored in the campaign idea “unbelievable” which they have brilliantly brought to life through engaging consumer centric video content paired with hard working trial driving OOH activity which we are already seeing strong results from.”
