Can a campaign featuring a bag of potato chips motivate women to lose weight? It might seem a little far-fetched, but the creative and technical team at Charged Studios, the hybrid animation, live-action and VFX company, conceived and created a pair of bumpers for Irish potato crisp brand Tayto, that did just that.
Press Release from Charged Studioss
New York: Can a campaign featuring a bag of potato chips motivate women to lose weight? It might seem a little far-fetched, but the creative and technical team at Charged Studios, the hybrid animation, live-action and VFX company, conceived and created a pair of bumpers for Irish potato crisp brand Tayto, that did just that. Dubbed “The Biggest Winner,” the animated bumper package, which features a bag of low-calorie Velvet Crunch Taytos exercising its way towards its weight loss goals, will air at the beginning and end of the UK’s version of the popular competitive weight loss series, “The Biggest Loser.”
Largo Foods, the largest snack foods company in Ireland, approached Charged Studios with a simple brief: depict a bag of chips performing calisthenics, as a means to connect the product to the show’s weight loss theme. Taking that cue, Charged responded with an idea that would get to the heart of the creative - while telling a fully realized story within the bumpers’ short timeframe.
The studio decided to feminize the bag – to connect with the female target market, and cast the bag of chips as the winner of the spot’s implied weight loss competition. At the end of each bumper, the bag jumps victoriously on a scale and it is revealed that it weighed in at only 83 calories. The low number prompts a wave of fanfare, reminiscent of the “The Biggest Loser” segments, when contestants are weighed in.
“From the start, the creation of this particular line of Tayto crisps, the whole Velvet Crunch line, is geared towards women,” explains director Adam Pierce. “But it's a low-calorie product for anyone who wants to enjoy a treat, without taking in the calories traditionally associated with it.”
Armed with a strong idea, Charged worked collaboratively with U.S. agency, Challenge Entertainment, to develop and produce the spots with a tight turnaround. Charged was integral to each stage of the process, writing copy, shooting on the Canon 40D, capturing frames with Dragon software and composing new music at the agency’s request. Compositor Djuna Wahlrob even crafted the weight scale using the images of a blender and an iPad.
Charged Studio's team decided to make the bag a winner and tell a complete story in a 5-10 sec. bumper, incorporating voiceover and a scale along the way," notes Adam. "Not having the chip bags in hand until the last minute, and coming up with creative solutions, executing and deliver the job in just three days, was a challenge.”
About Charged Studios: Charged Studios has been bringing wit, originality and punch to the art of visual storytelling—through a mix of animation, puppetry, live-action and visual effects—for over 10 years. Our open-architecture design, CGI, live-action production, editorial, music and sound studio is a creative haven for a diverse mix of collaborative artists with a shared passion for creating fresh, compelling spots that exceed client expectations and push the envelope. For additional information contact Charged at 718.855.0216, or chargedinfo@charged.com or visit www.charged.com.
CREDITS:Equipment used included the Canon 40D and Dragon frame-capture software.Type:Bumper PackageTitle + Length: Velvet Crunch Sponsors for Biggest Loser Bumpers, 5 sec. (0:05) and 10 sec. (0:10)Client: Largo Foods: Marketing Director: Tricia KirwanAgency: Challenge Entertainment: Creative Director: David KirwanConcept + Writing: Charged Studios and Challenge EntertainmentProduction Company: Charged Studios: Director: Adam Pierce DP: Michael Eder; Producer Mike LandyVFX/Animation Company: Charged Studios: Animation: Chris Gilligan; Rig Removal, Graphics, and Aftereffect: Alex PearlmanEditorial Company: Charged Studios: Lead Editor: Andy Harmon; Compositors: Eric Rothman and Djuna WahlrabAudio Post Company: Charged Studios: Sound Designer: Daron Murphy and Andy HarmonMusic Company: Gowanus Sound Initiative, for Charged: Composer: Daron Murphy
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