Veggies Stage a Rock Opera for Philips Air Fryers

If the vegetables at the back of my fridge began singing their stalks out, I’d probably refrain from popping them in a Philips Air Fryer for lunch or dinner. But that’s just me. The brand and Droga5 have other ideas, and they created an ’80s-style rock opera to prove it. 

The work seeks to encourage families to cook said veggies the Philips way before buying new foods. And composer Andrew Sherman goes full Jim Steinman with the riffing and bombast.

“Hey you, don’t buy new stuff.
I may be wrinkled but I’m more than enough.
All ya gotta do is….
Air fry me!
—We can satisfy ya—whoa!
Air fry me!
—We’re a vegetable choir.
Air fry me!
—Don’t leave us to die!”

What, no Meat Loaf? Still, that tomato shreds. (Cheese would’ve been too on the nose. And it’s probably not a vegetable.)

“Philips Air Fryers gave us permission to show that all those forgotten vegetables haven’t passed their prime,” says Shelley Smoler, CCO at Droga5 London. “And what better way than getting them to sing a rock opera to make people fall for them? It is always great to show that a light-hearted campaign can change people’s perceptions and, in doing so, make a real difference.”

“After experimenting with a number of music genres, rock opera ended up being a unanimous decision,” adds Matt Hubbard, agency group creative director. “The over-the-top singing, catchy melodies and inherent stage drama felt like the perfect vehicle.”

The work recalls Freedom Solar’s metal mania from a few weeks back. Though that one turned the audacity up to 11.

CREDITS

Client: Philips Domestic Appliances
Trix van der Vleuten, Thijs Hoogenboom, Gabi Rutter, Remco Broeckx

Agency Droga5 London
Chief Creative Officer Shelley Smoler
Group Creative Director Matt Hubbard
Creatives Alex Robson, Flo Russell, Ellie Keyes, Chip McCoy
Chief Strategy Officer Damien Le Castrec
Planners Tamara Conyngham, Eloise Sykes, Clemency Beale-Collins
Account Management Josh Morgan, Gabi Dwek, Jamie Roston, Yemi Greene 
Agency Producer Peter Montgomery, Manon Reese, James Plaxton
Agency Stills Producer Katerina Gharraph
Head of Design Stephanie McArdle
Designer Liz Bisoux 
Photographer Robert Billington
Director Eros Vlahos
Production company MindsEye
Producer Archie Johnston Stewart
Editor Flaura Atkinson at Stitch
Post-production ETC
Composer Andrew Sherman
Artists Butter Music and Sound
Publisher Eagle’s Nest (SESAC)
Sound Design 750mph
DoP Matthew Emvin Taylor