This is a year of unprecedented change. From Burger King to Three, KFC and Nike, brands are finding incredibly creative ways of producing work during less than ideal circumstances.
We’ve been on the hunt for said work and have been speaking to the creatives behind the ads. From ideating at a distance to disjointed editing processes and more, this is true quarantine creativity.
In this case, we (virtually) sat down with Huge Group Creative Director Meg Douglass, the brains behind Canidae’s latest spot.
All of the work we’re going to be posting in the next few days will be a part of the Creativity Showcase at Advertising Week’s inaugural virtual event AWJAPAC for the Asia-Pacific region. to inspire you to move forward in a world changed by Coronavirus.
Campaign Name: “Dogifesto”
Agency: Huge & Canidae
AW360: What was the ad about, and where did the idea come from?
We were all struggling with this ‘new normal.’ But we saw a silver lining and an opportunity for Canidae to bring some much-needed joy to people from a different perspective. Our dogs were thriving–not only because they’re experts at being home all day, but because now we were home together. And when you look at all of this through their eyes, it’s more manageable. Maybe even enjoyable. Maybe.
AW360: How challenging was it to create an ad in quarantine? What challenges were surprising?
Finding the footage, music and even VO talent was surprisingly easy. So many people have home recording capabilities, we had our pick of great voices. But the edit was challenging. We didn’t have any prior experience to inform a remote edit, and we were crunched for time. So we edited very slowly–change by changeover slack and postings. We longed for the real-time, sitting in the same room, try this, try that kind of edit.
AW360: What advice would you give to others who need to address the same challenges you faced?
Live-stream your edit. Set up a FaceTime or live YouTube link. It saves many many many hours.
AW360: What do you think the future looks like for creative production?
We’ve had to trust each other much more throughout all of this remote production. Clients have been more flexible, creatives have given directors, DPs and editors more room to flex their creative muscles. I hope we extend that trust and freedom beyond this lockdown.
But I want the budgets to come back.
Just because every brand can make a montage out of stock footage doesn’t mean they should.
AW360: Are limitations more helpful creatively than you initially thought?
Boundaries and limitations are always great, to an extent. We are creative problem-solvers and finding a creative solution to a hairy problem is what gets all of us going. I think it’s been good to have an interruption of the norm to break people out of ruts. That said, the novelty has quickly worn off.