Ogilvy in collaboration with Oscar-winning animation studio Aardman has redefined the product demonstration with innovative content for Unilever’s laundry brand Persil. A first of its kind animation, Monster Stains, recently launched in cinemas and online to show off Persil’s stain removal power through a narrative lens.
Ogilvy came up with the idea of creating a stop-frame animation using school shirts as the canvas, and tough stains as the paint. A unique palette using 28 common stain-causing substances, from gravy and jam to grass and chocolate ice cream, was created to color the imaginative world of two sweet little monsters who learn to overcome their fears (and get dirty in the process).
It took 10 artists and nearly three months to complete the 60 seconds of animation within the 2 ½-minute short. Each frame of animation was painted on a clean shirt, which was then photographed before the shirt was washed with Persil, dried, ironed and stain-painted all over again a total of 2, 576 times.
“At Aardman we have a history of embracing big challenges and when Ogilvy came to us with such an interesting project, we jumped in with both feet,” said Aardman creative director Merlin Crossingham. “The finished spots are playful stories with delightful characters, created in a truly unique way and we hope you enjoy them.”
Ogilvy used the stain palette to create a bespoke typeface for the campaign, and Kode Media produced, shot and edited the live-action elements in the film. The monster characters also appear in a series of five shorter pieces that will be used across social media and eCommerce.
