303 MullenLowe sells the unsellable on Gruen’s Pitch – cosmetic surgery for pets
In the latest episode of ABC Gruen, the show that unpicks the dark arts of advertising, 303 MullenLowe Perth was invited to participate in ‘The Pitch’, the segment that challenges two agencies to sell the unsellable.
This week’s task: convince Australians that pets need cosmetic surgery, for fictitious company ‘The Animal Cosmetic Aesthetic’.
In the spirit of the show and the subject matter, a tongue-in-cheek approach was explored, but not before an insightful truth was discovered.
303 MullenLowe Perth Senior creative Lachy Banton, explains: “Right off the bat, all the safe slides were hidden, leaving us to explore more fertile ground… like how we’re almost hardwired to be hypnotised by looks.”
Introducing the film, 303 MullenLowe Perth Chief Creative Officer, Damian Royce, said: “We identified that one of the core drivers for seeking cosmetic surgery is solving insecurities. So, we decided to explore this idea, along with its unexpected benefits – for both pet and owner. And despite being a fictitious client, there is a truth to be found in their service: trying to improve the lives of pets.”
303 MullenLowe Perth Senior Business Director, Taryn Payne said with around 800,000 Aussies tuning into the program, participating on Gruen was a great opportunity to “showcase the local advertising talent of Western Australia.”
Payne added: “The Gruen Pitch is created with a tightly capped budget, and 303 MullenLowe Perth would like to extend a special thank you to our talented production partners, directors, and cast. Without them, this film wouldn’t have been possible.”
“What’s more, a portion of the allocated production budget was donated to the Shenton Park Dog’s Refuge Home, where the star of the film, the beautiful ‘Oompah’ was originally rescued from. Donations can be made by visiting https://www.dogshome.org.au/donate/.”
303 MullenLowe tied for first place in the Pitch, sharing the trophy with Campaign Edge.
Credits
Agency: 303 MullenLowe Perth
Managing Director: Rene Migliore
Chief Creative Officer: Damian Royce
Senior Creative: Lachy Banton
Senior Creative: Jake Ransom
Head of Production: Johnathan Julius
Head of Business Management: Taryn Payne
Head of Planning: Smiljka Dimitrijevic
Production
Directors – C & H
Executive Producer – Béatrice Masia
Director of Photography – Mikey Hamer
1st AD – Kyle Dessent
1st AC – Gareth Weston
Sound Recordist – Glenn Dillon
Gaffer – Mike Titter
Equipment Hire – Raz Rentals
Costume & Art – Kylie Clifford
Buyer / Dresser – Mya Elliott
HMU – Kate Farmer
Production Assistant – Tyla Hancock
Stills Photographer – Duncan Wright
Casting: Megan Carpenter
Audio Post Production: Cue Sound
Sound Engineer: Shaun Sandosham
Post Production Company: The Office of John Cheese
Offline / Online Editor: James Hawkes
Cast
Robber 1: Nick Britton
Robber 2: Michael Ranone
Female Cop: Sarah Light
Male Cop: Dan Wilson
‘Cosmetic x Aesthetic’ Doggo: Oompah
13 Comments
That’s a clever idea, very unexpected and entertaining.
Love it
Love it!
The new look nipped and tucked 303 coming out strong early with good new work and promotion. Loving it. The market needs a shake up and this is the team to do it.
Idea and production quality on a low Gruen budget are better than most Pitch entries I’ve seen. WA punching! And well done C + H!
I don’t get it? It doesn’t really make sense…
Then perhaps this industry is not for you. Keep it kind or keep it offline!
I’m with Hype on this one…. “Turn insecurity into security.” Nice line, but don’t understand the execution.
Surely it’s that the dog, since having surgery, is now confident and so beautiful it stops people in their tracks!
But not working
Crooks are robbing a house. See a dog. Get mesmerised by dog. Start playing with dog and get side-tracked. Cops come. Instead of arresting crooks, the cops also get smitten with dog. It’s an ad for pet cosmetic surgery.
Does this count as new ‘work’?
“Keep it kind or keep it offline!” Are you serious?
Hype reel says he/she doesn’t get it and you think that’s an unkind comment? Post your work on the Australia CB or Mumbrella and see what happens.
I still wonder why agencies continue to call in production favours on Gruen spec ads that go nowhere. Save these favours for great concepts on real clients that builds the brand and your client’s trust in you and the agency. No top agency here takes part in The Pitch as it’s pointless. Save your favours for campaigns like that cold campaign from a few years ago.