Stella Artois launches its summer campaign with this dreamy music video inviting people to savor life together with those who matter most–a mindset known as The Life Artois. In a summer unlike any other, the “You’re Never Too Far From The Life Artois” campaign from agency Pereira O’Dell is a reminder that opportunities to enjoy the summer are still all around us. Set to a hauntingly romantic rendition of the iconic song “Daydream,” reimagined by indie folk singer M. Ward, the music video features Liev Schreiber, Blake Griffin, Eva Longoria, as well as everyday people and shows what a day for a daydream can be when people embrace The Life Artois by setting themselves free to daydream and embrace the summer version of themselves.
Paul Hunter of production house PRETTYBIRD directed the cinematic music video. Hunter’s filmography includes celebrated music videos for the likes of Justin Timberlake, Pharrell and Jennifer Lopez. A fan of musicals himself, Hunter brought La La Land’s famously talented choreographers Mandy Moore and Jillian Meyers to turn this video into a real musical that inspires people to let their “daydream-self” out this summer, no matter where they are, with Stella Artois.
“You’re Never Too Far From The Life Artois” was a completely remote shoot. Stella Artois was one of the first brands to get a permit to shoot in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and strict protective protocols were adhered to.
The campaign was pre-launched with an audio series of stories on YouTube called “Daydreaming in The Life Artois,” where accomplished and diverse stars of American literature such as Anu Valia and Shalom Auslander wrote short stories about a summer worth savoring that Andy Cohen narrated.
The original “Daydream” song by The Lovin’ Spoonful hit number two on Billboard in April 1966 and has been covered by many artists since then, including Kermit the Frog and Vince Gill.
Credits
Client Stella Artois U.S. Agency Pereira O’Dell PJ Pereira, creative chairman, co-founder; Robert Lambrechts, chief creative officer; Nick Sonderup, executive creative director; Thiago Cruz, creative director; Ivan Rivera, sr. copywriter; Camilo Ruano, sr. art director; Anjali Rao, copywriter; Rachel McEuen, art director; Som Perry, associate design director; Evan Zelermyer, production artist; Veronica Beach, executive producer; Bridget Pierce, sr. producer; Tom Naughton, director of strategy; Kira Loretto, brand strategy director; Nina Cole, communications strategy director; Damara Dikeou, social strategy director; Haley Carter, social strategist. Production PRETTYBIRD Paul Hunter, director; Kerstin Emhoff, CEO/exec producer; William Green, producer; Matt Lloyd, DP; Mandy Moore, choreographer. VFX/Animation MPC, New York Camila De Biaggi, exec producer; Anna Kravtsov, producer; Alvin Cruz, creative director; Tom McCullough, Alvin Cruz, creative directors; Tim Crean, VFX supervisor; Dan Fine, 3D lead; Tim Crean, Rob Walker, Mazyar Sharifian, Renato Carone, Jared Pollack, Gustavo Bellon, Patrick Ferguson, Navid Sanati, Toya Drechsler, Andre Arevalo, Cynthia Lee, Rob Ufer, 2D team; Neela Kumuda Parankusham, 2D producer; Stevenson G, Amresh Kumar, Aginesh K M, Karthikkeyan M D, Pramod Dwivedi, Arulanandhan P, Bijeesh K U, Kiran Veeraswarapu, Padmapriya K, Jaswan Vishnu, Pitchuka Suresh, Naresh Kumar Nandaluru, Ragesh Ramachandran, Vivekananthan R, Silambarasan R P, Sugumar S, 2D artists. (Toolbox: Flame, Nuke, Maya, Photoshop) Editorial Cosmo Street Lawrence Young, editor; Jared Zygarlicke, Josh Berger, assistant editors; Luiza Naritomi, head of production; Maura Woodward, exec producer. Music M. Ward, vocals/guitar/keys, producer; John Askew, engineer; Alia Farah, vocals; Jordan Hudson, drums; John Benson Sebastian, writer; Trio Music Company, publisher, All rights administered by BMG Rights Management (US) LLC; Published by Alley Music Corp. (BMI) Courtesy of Round Hill Music. Music Supervision Search Party Winslow Bright, exec producer; Meghan Currier, music supervisor; Stewart Lerman, mix & production. Audio Post Heard City Phil Loeb, mixer; Sasha Awn, exec producer.
PETA’s “My First Lab Animal” is a parody commercial that feels straight out of the 1990s. Directed by Fons Schiedon of Golden LA, this is the fourth time that the filmmaker has joined forces with PETA and its creative director, Christian Carl, to spread messages of compassion towards animals. Previous ventures from this team include the Super Bowl Spot “Don’t Stand For Injustice.”
Complete with a catchy, cheerful jingle, “My First Lab Animal” is “the toy that toys with life.” Blending dark comedy with sitcom-style acting and fully functional toys, this spoof from PETA is as hilarious as it is horrifying. In “My First Lab Animal,” the plasticine glee of 1990s toy commercials is the perfect Trojan Horse for conveying the ever-present horrors of animal testing and experimentation. The grim realities are playfully acted out by a child and her parents having fun with a new toy, drawing out the tension between optimistic earnestness and animal cruelty. Targeting Millennial nostalgia, this film from PETA leans into the generational transition as this demographic largely includes toy-shopping parents. “My First Lab Animal” premiered on Fox News, TV Land, MTV, and Adult Swim.
Schiedon said, “The key to the humor and tension with this film was that we were playing it earnestly. Leaning into the cheesy, sincere 90s toy commercial elements of it—including practical toys—let us bring some of the truly harsher realities of animal testing to life with this important film for PETA. This will hopefully serve as a wake-up call for consumers and the NIH [National Institutes of Health] alike.”
