Leffel and crew
filmed the activation
on World Milk Day,
handed the footage
to Cutters for editing,
and pushed out the video
almost immediately.
Recently, in celebration of World Milk Day, Craig Leffel of Big Spoon Industries produced both a short and long-form spot for the Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) in Kansas City, Missouri. The videos were made in partnership with ad-agency Barkley and Cutters’ editing shop in Kansas City.
The long form video consisted of a documentary-style activation that interviewed bystanders about their honest reactions to the newest super drink on the market, milk.
Leffel remarks, “These activations have gotten really popular with brands, where a brand likes to go out and interact with the public.”
While exhibiting fun interactions on the street, the experiential marketing in the video hits that sweet spot between humor and information.
They filmed the activation on World Milk Day and handed footage on scene to Cutters. This workflow allowed the team to edit and push out the video, almost immediately.
Leffel elaborates about the pre-production process and explains, “On the agency side, they wanted to treat milk like a new product. They looked at research and saw that people are interested in protein drinks, interested in hydration, and interested in nutrition.”
It turns out that milk applies to all of those, so the DFA and Barkley “decided to play with the concept of making a product that no one had ever heard of… the trick was trying to get (the public) to try it on camera and get their honest reaction.”
The entire process of making the longer video is something that Leffel really enjoyed. “I love longer form storytelling pieces,” says Leffel.
He continues, “It’s a great place where we are at with social media that we can make longer pieces that don’t have these tight rule for broadcast. We can tell better stories that way.”
As for the short-form video, Big Spoon Industries embraces the hip beverage vibe in all of its glory and flaunts Mülü’s nutritional value with a fun 30-second spot that showcases just about everything but the product’s traditional name.
Unfortunately, for those who want to drink this ancient beverage in the slick Mülü bottle, it was only available for the duration of the activation.
Craig Leffel has his hands in every step and type of production at Big Spoon Industries. Besides an impressive background in post and coloring that ranges from more than 10,000 ads to indie documentaries, such as Hoop Dreams, Leffel loves being in the field, on set, and in the studio.
“I just really enjoy doing different kinds of things… working on a project from start to finish,” says Leffel.
And at Big Spoon, Leffel states he “can plug (himself) in at any capacity.” That includes casting, direction, photography, post, and more.
Also Read: Leffel’s Big Spoon dished up appetizing web pieces
One of his favorite projects at Big Spoon was the following “national and global broadcast spot” for Positec Tools. In the 30-second video, Big Spoon and director Steve Peterson, a partner in Big Machine, helped turn a Burbank, CA studio into an oilrig in the middle of the North Sea.
Currently, Leffel is teaming up with Digitas Boston and Bank of America to work on its spot for the 50th Anniversary of the Special Olympics.
Leffel reveals, “We are going to be working with some very well-known landmarks in town” to create “a 30-second social media piece that will be super cool.”
The Special Olympics began in Chicago, and the spot is going to be a tribute to the relationship between the city and the honored event.
CREDITS
CLIENT: Dairy Farmers of America (DFA)
Agency: Barkley Kansas City
Senior Producer: JP McIntosh
Production Company: Big Spoon Industries
Executive Producer: Craig Leffel
Editorial: Cutters, Kansas City, MO
Producer, Cutters: Heather Richardson
Editor, Cutters: Kalen Kirkpatrick
To learn more about Big Spoon Industries, click here.
Contact Joey Filer at Joey@reelchicago.com or follow him on Twitter @FilerJoey.
