Anchor – Butter the Food, Butter the Mood

I was starting to get a little worried this week that I hadn’t had any adverts jump out to me yet, so I started to procrastinate. Scrolling through Instagram in this case and it actually proved to be more productive than you’d think. Well, it was after the thumb-stopping post from Joseph Mann anyways. If you are wondering who Joseph Mann is he is a London based film director working for Blinkink and he has recently directed Anchor’s latest TVC for the campaign, Butter the Food, Butter the Mood. After seeing this I just knew what I was going to write about. Well, people say inspiration often hits when you least expect it.

Agency Engine nods to the brand’s warm heritage with this new lively, upbeat brand position for Anchor. “Celebrat[ing] the diversity of brilliant food found around Britain today”, the TVC titled The Cafe introduces us to the interesting characters in a local cafe.

View this post on Instagram

Long live the Great British Caf! NEW WORK FOR ANCHOR BUTTER 🇬🇧🍳🥓 HUGE thanks to all you wonderful people who helped pull this outrageous number off. 💕⚓🥞🥖 . . . @blink_ink @joshuacaseysmith @bradleywoodus @gurkzilla @jackbings @j.r.blann @annammmrhodes @yesnatalie @beachbirdy @kharmelcochranecasting @andyrbiddle @jimmy_grimes_puppetry @brunskillandgrimes @max.windows @andycopping @stitchediting @freefolkstudios @duncangraded @major_tom_music @onafoggynight . . . . #british #cafe #butter #desmonds #themetune #practicaleffects #puppets #stopmotion #2Danimation #3Danimation #tvcommercial #advertising #incameraeffects #practicaleffects #stopframe #puppets #setdesign #rooftop #setbuild #longarms #dancingsausage #sausage #mash #long #stretchy #ad

A post shared by Joseph Mann (@joseph___mann) on Apr 30, 2019 at 5:40am PDT

Why I like this advert

Just like Haven’s A Breath of Fresh Air advert this TVC is full of life and also sports an upbeat soundtrack. Using the old theme tune from TV show Desmond you can’t help but feel happy and want to keep watching this advert. Overall The Cafe just hits the emotional response perfectly and that’s what makes a successful TVC.

Stepping back from the feel of the advert and looking a little more technically we see the mix of live-action and animation. We really see Blinkink echo effects from previous project Charlie’s Dream, also directed by Joseph Mann with the extending arms. I just love this integration of the different mediums and Blinkink do this so well, truly immersing us in the scene.

View this post on Instagram

Blending live action puppetry and CGI, Joseph Mann and co-director Rune Spaans take us on a journey into the weird and wonderful dreamworld of Pilgrim's Choice cheese!⠀ *⠀ *⠀ *⠀ @joseph___mann @superrune @claphamrdstudio @pilgrimschoice @stitcheditorial @freefolkstudios @sovietsciencemusic @scramblesoho #cheese #dreams #animation #puppetry #cgi #forest #pirate

A post shared by Blinkink (@blink_ink) on May 22, 2018 at 3:08am PDT

Verdict

Ticking all the right boxes this advert entertains us, makes us feel good and showcases the product without getting in our faces about it. The addition of great animation really helps the advert stand out.

The Cafe is only the start of this campaign though with visual puns said to be hitting OOH and below-the-line marketing. I do love a good pun too, especially food related so these butter be good.

I hope you have enjoyed my brief look into Anchor’s Butter the Food, Butter the Mood campaign. As always, I would love to see your comments below and I’m always up for a discussion on any of my blog topics if you want to drop me a message via LinkedIn or Instagram. What did you think of this mix of live-action, puppetry and visual effects? 

Featured image courtesy of TV Advert Songs.