Who: Fody Foods, with Venturepark for strategy and creative, PARK Production House for production directed by Ryan Bouman.
What: “Gut Love,” a new brand campaign for the Montreal-based “gut-friendly” food brand, targeting those interested in better digestion but may not follow a low-FODMAP diet. (Yes, we had to look it up. Explanation below.)
When & Where: The campaign is in market now, running across the U.S. first followed by Canada running through 2023. It’s a brand campaign, but with a targeted digital buy, and a goal of ecommerce conversion.
FODMAP? It stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols if you want to get specific. It’s a category of sugars that can be difficult to absorb in the small intestine, causing digestive distress: cramping, bloating, gassiness etc. Fody makes easy-to-digest food products like pasta sauce, salsas, ketchup, chocolate and snack bars.
Why: Fody has good awareness among those who follow a low-FODMAP diet, said founder and CEO Steven Singer in a release. “With this campaign we challenged our creative partners at Venturepark to help connect us with consumers who may not necessarily identify as IBS-sufferers, but who still want to enjoy delicious food without their gut acting up,” he said.
How: The campaign is anchored by a 60-second ad that takes place on the set of a dating show called Gut Love, which is dominated by Fody’s purple brand colour. The host—complete with a game show host-style microphone—says they want to find contestant Suzie a dish that is “easy on the eyes, and on the stomach.”
Suzie isn’t interested in the first two pasta sauces, but falls in love with Fody: “I taste great now and I feel good later,” says the Fody sauce.
“Our creative concept was sparked by the love that we all develop for foods that aren’t just good for us but also delicious,” said Dan Strasser, Venturepark’s executive creative director, in the release.
There are six different cut-downs of the spot featuring the Love Gut jingle. The cheery, bouncy tune does the heavy lifting of introducing the problem of “bloating, cramping, gassiness too” followed by the benefits of showing your gut some love: “I found Fody and I’ll never get sick.”
The advertising directs viewers to the redesigned Fody website where they can shop the entire Fody product lineup.
And we quote: “The campaign celebrates the love of food and health as an extension of the self—setting it all within the context of a dating show helped us convey the harrowing food decisions that digestive health sufferers struggle with way too often.” — Dan Strasser, executive creative director, Venturepark
