For Earth Day, Impossible Foods Lends a (Tiny) Hand
Mix tiny-kitchen memes and SNL's Dooneese with environmental consciousness and you'll have some idea of how Impossible Foods' Earth Day campaign rolls.
Developed with Deloitte Digital, social videos show action-figure hands in various settings, preparing healthy foods. No faces, just hands. That could be Ken or Barbie, who knows?
Dubbed "Mini Impact Kitchen," the work seeks to convey the plant-based brand's low carbon footprint compared to companies that produce meat. For example, the Impossible Burger generates 91 percent fewer emissions than a hamburger, we're told.
So, we've got low-key, low-budget stuff that's perhaps just different enough to break through. It can't touch the chill doll-driven quirk of last year's Drumstick ice-cream campaign, but what can? (And no jokes about small hands, people!)
"Most Earth Day messaging is often all doom and gloom. We wanted to give people a fun and tangible way they could help save the planet," Kenny Gold, managing director and head of social at Deloitte Digital, tells Muse. "We chose to run with the mini-kitchen trend because people love it. And we knew it would be a great way to communicate a mini-carbon footprint message."
The target, he says, is two-fold. It consists of "those already consuming plant-based products and making everyday food decisions that are a healthier alternative for the environment and general foodies who have yet to understand the value of choosing plant-based over real meat."
As for the brand takeaway, "It can be hard for consumers to understand that something as seemingly small as the food they eat can actually have a big impact on the planet," Gold says. "That's why we're so excited about this campaign—it makes it clear that reducing your footprint can be fun, delicious and spread good vibes."
The team opted for simple yet surreal, somewhat familiar imagery that "stays true to the aesthetic of social," he adds. "Most of the props featured in the videos were made in-house. Our office looked like an arts and crafts station for the better part of the week."
"And when we started to film outdoors with tiny hands, things got interesting. The stares and questions from onlookers were priceless. The biggest challenge of creating something this small in scale was ensuring we captured just how tiny the hands were, compared to the environment around them. We honestly had way too much fun on this project."
CREDITS
Kenny Gold / Managing Director, Head of Social and Influencer
Lauren LaValle / Managing Director, Head of Engagement Management
Milton Correa / Head of Creative, Brand & Advertising
Jones Krahl / Head of Creative, Brand & Advertising
Bevan Mahaney / Group Creative Director
Dima Rigby / Creative Director
Angela Williams / Creative Director
Darrien Case / Copywriter
Alex Mayeri / Junior Art Director
Dewun Owusu / Cinematographer & Editor
Stephanie Berland / Business Affairs Specialist
Emerson DeBasio / Producer
Kirsten Finkas / Design Director
Jenirae Beyer-Johnson / Account Supervisor
Christina Kavalauskas / Group Strategy Director, Social Innovation & Operations
Angelina Truchan / Social Strategist
Shayan Heravi / Associate Director of Strategy, Influencer
Ben Shapiro / Senior Media Strategist
