Quebec-based supermarket chain IGA launched a new animated television campaign Monday with a spot focusing on the store’s fresh produce selection.
The 30-second ad, from IGA’s creative agency Sid Lee and Montreal visual effects and postproduction studio Shed, opens with a man reading over his shopping list.
He picks up a yellow pepper from the display and turns to place it in his cart, but notices another pepper has quickly, and somewhat magically, grown in its place–filling the spot where his pepper once sat.
Impressed by it all, he quickly moves through the produce department snatching up other items like apples, oranges and pineapples to watch how quickly the stock replenishes itself. The commercial ends with IGA’s long-running tag line “Food is everything.”
Using the animation helps the ads stand out from competitors like Metro, which also advertises on television but uses live action, said Philippe Meunier, creative chief and senior associate, Sid Lee.
“For us, using animation for this campaign you could deliver on the freshness but you could deliver on the imagery side of discovery for a new kind of shopping experience.
“It’s the same brand promise but with a different version of entertainment,” he said. “It gives us more wings in terms of presenting certain aspects of the store.”
The ad is one in a series that will continue to launch over the coming months, introducing new characters along the way, said Meunier.
