Who: IGA, Sid Lee and Carat, with Mathematic for production/animation and Circonflex for audio and music.
What: “Inséparable,” a charming two-minute film about two young children who become schoolyard friends over the contents of their lunch boxes.
When & Where: The full version is running on TV, in cinema, and online. The Facebook post went up last week and had more than 444,000 views in the first 48 hours. IGA is donating $1 for each social share to La Tablee des Chefs, a not-for-profit that teaches young people about food and nutrition and donates food to people in need.
Why: Last year, IGA ran a similarly sweet, animated Christmas film about a young boy who puts out cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve—with his growing love for cooking leading him to put out increasingly elaborate treats. That video generated more than three million views and 80,000 shares, according to the agency.
IGA calls the films a “gift” to its customers. “Last year, we created a story that conveyed a passion for cooking, which is one of the brand’s values. This year, we wanted to focus on discovering food and sharing,” said Carl Pichette, vice-president of marketing at Sobeys, parent company for IGA.
How: Working with Paris-based production studio Mathematic, Sid Lee created the film about Anto and Maxime, who get to know each other over a shared snack and quickly become best pals. The film shows them trading different items from their lunch boxes—from traditional sandwiches to bao and sushi. The little girl eventually moves away, but the two get to share one last snack with some Christmas magic.
“It’s a nice, little love story between two food lovers. We really wanted to showcase children’s curiosity and openness in order to inspire people at Christmas and throughout the rest of the year,” said Alex Caron-Cote, the Sid Lee copywriter who worked on the film.
And it’s running on TV at two minutes? Yes. Only at two minutes, with no cut-downs. “By creating a 120-second film, in a way we’re giving viewers a break from commercial breaks. It’s a rare opportunity for us to share our craft and our passion with people,” said Alexandre Béland, the team’s art director.
