Fédération des producteurs de lait du Québec is aiming to show a slice of real life in its latest TV spot.
The spot, created by Nolin BBDO in Montreal, depicts the relationship between two brothers in a humble Montreal neighbourhood. The older brother looks out for the younger one in a park, before they return to their apartment for a glass of milk and peanut butter sandwich.
The spot is the third in a series, which shows what kind of food goes well with milk. The first spot showed a family eating cake and drinking milk, while the second spot was focused on milk and cookies for Santa.
“But it’s not just the food, it’s also about the people and the moment… in this case, the relationship between a young brother and a bigger brother,” said Stéphane Charier, co-director general and chief creative officer at Nolin BBDO. “It’s a mix of talking about the product and the emotion—you’re sharing that food with somebody special.”
The spot was directed by Montreal filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallée, whose film Dallas Buyers Club nabbed six Oscar nominations last week. His approach was to be realistic, rather than sleek: the boys have scratch marks on their faces and live in a shoddy apartment, with a leaky faucet and paint peeling off the wall.
“He’s a great director and he likes going with something that’s not [typical] advertising,” said Charier. “In advertising, we always show perfection. People are beautiful and rich or have a beautiful house. We felt [his approach] was very strong… and breaks the rules of what we see all the time.”
The song “La vie en rose” by Gilles Valiquette is the soundtrack for the message in French while the iconic “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King provides the background for the spot in English. The spot will run until the end of March.
Nicole Dubé, director of marketing at Fédération des producteurs de lait du Québec, said the overall campaign is targeted at consumers 18 to 49 and also aims to show milk as a source of comfort.
