Quriosity Productions captured the beauty of breakfast in a new commercial for Bojangles restaurant by New York and Greenville-based agency EP+Co.
Directed by Mike Maes, the 30-second Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit is one of several TV and online spots designed to create a new look for the legendary franchise. The work is part of a campaign titled Two by Four that elevates the Bojangles brand to a national level.
“They wanted something a little more moody, rustic, and southern than what they had before,” says Maes. “They were changing from a stark white studio feel to warmer lighting and darker background with texture to make the food pop.”
Featuring menu items on center stage throughout the entire duration, the spot establishes a new style for restaurant advertising along the way.
Descending in slow motion, topping off a sandwich, and soaking up butter, the biscuit rises to a particular level of glamor that, according to Quriosity Executive Producer Qadree Holmes, breaks new ground for restaurant commercials.
“Many times, food is used as an insert only,” he says. “This spot is literally all about the food, and that’s not an easy thing to do for thirty seconds on the screen.”
QURIOSITY PRODUCTIONS
BACON, EGG AND CHEESE BISCUIT | BOJANGLES
Going national
Although Bojangles is revered throughout the south for its chicken and biscuits, the restaurant hopes to wield a national kind of appeal with the new campaign.
Maes shot on a RED Epic and added “some hi-speed stuff with the Phantom” in his West Loop studio to help get it done. He also ventured away from the norm and letting the menu do all the talking.
According to Holmes, the results are a much-needed visual change in the restaurant category.
“The traditional way is to essentially lie to your consumer and make the food look one hundred percent perfect at all times, but people on social media are way more savvy than that,” he says. “Mike adds crumbs and movement, and the biscuit looks natural and appetizing but still appears the same way on screen that it does in the restaurant.”
Both Maes and Holmes also credit the agency for the campaign’s success.
“The creatives from EP+Co were great to work with,” says Maes. “They gave me direction and we boarded it out — so there were guardrails, I couldn’t go crazy — but we also had a little bit of freedom to do some extra stuff.”
In addition to providing a great concept and allowing plenty of freedom, EP+Co’s enthusiasm helped create a kind of magic that, according to Holmes, only happens in the studio.
“The biscuit drop, those aren’t easy to actually do,” he explains. “When you hear clients kind of cheering and clapping in the background, you know you’re doing something right.”
Two by Four is airing in select southern markets and running online through the end of the year.
Credits
Quriosity
Director, Michael Maes
Executive Producer, Qadree Holmes
Producer, Claire Smalley
Director of Photography Chris Rejano
Bojangles
Senior Brand Manager – Colby Anderson
EP+Co
EVP, Executive Creative Director – John Cornette
EVP, Group Creative Director – Michael Buss
Creative Director – Craig Melchiano
SVP, Director of Content Production – Danny Miller
Senior Content Producer – Molly Lynskey
VP Business Affairs Manager – Jeff Fischer
SVP, Group Account Director – Carolyn Phillips
Account Supervisor – Ben Granger
Managing Director – Kat Shafer
Send your campaign updates to Reel Chicago Editor Dan Patton, dan@reelchicago.com.