FoxP2’s approach has certainly disrupted a category where clichés abound. Says FoxP2 Creative Founding partner, Justin Gomes, “Years ago we showed Christine and Alwyn a bank of dairy ads which used the same, dare I say it, cheesy approach. They all featured over-the-top, non-believable consumption shots by saccharine kids in pristine white kitchens. All the logos were interchangeable. And we wanted to change that.”
Nobody can accuse Foxp2 of taking a conventional approach with campaigns featuring a used cow salesman, overenthusiastic athletes, drummers and fashion models. “You need to be as interesting as the content you’re interrupting and with this younger audience, you can’t afford to be anything less than entertaining when communicating your message,” says Alwyn Kraamwinkel, Chairman of the management committee of the CEP.
FoxP2’s latest dairy commercial shot by Pete Pohorsky of Plank Films features dairy-deficient aliens from a galaxy far, far away where there is no dairy to be found. Comedy ensues when they land on a dairy farm in rural South Africa.
Says Pohorsky, one of SA’s most awarded directors, “I loved the tension of these two worlds coming together – the cold, clinical world of the aliens at odds with the warm, homely feel of the farm. It makes for great storytelling. And now we know why our cows are always getting beamed up...”
The campaign also features FoxP’s first digital game. Created with InJozi Digital Design, The Dairy “Space Race” game gives players a chance to win a trip to the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida by feeding their aliens three portions of dairy a day until they get healthy. Says Nick Argyros, InJozi Executive Producer, “We placed massive emphasis on the digital craft of the game, but at the same time wanted to introduce a real-world element. Kids who feed their Alien by uploading pics they’ve taken of actual dairy products like yoghurt, cheese and milk increase their chances of being the first to get their Alien healthy, and winning a trip to the Kennedy Space Centre.”
With increased awareness of the health and nutritional benefits of dairy among kids and consumers at large over the last decade, FoxP2 and the CEP’s approach of talking to the youth in a language they understand continues to pay dividends.
