Philly Cream Cheese Whips Up All the Feels in Trippy Ads

Philadelphia Cream Cheese aims to spread “sensorial delight” in trippy shorts from GUT and Prettybird director Ian Schwartz that assure viewers: “You don’t just taste it. You feel it.”

After taking a bite, folks drift into dreamy realms of satisfaction and contentment. They float on shimmering seas, sail though fluffy-as-cream-cheese clouds, and in the first of three spots below, imagine their furniture and possessions reupholstered in furry shag-pile style:

“We did some intriguing exercises with about 100 people to identify some metaphors for that almost indescribable experience [of savoring some Philly],” explains Anne Field, equity and platform strategy lead for cheese products at brand parent Kraft Heinz.

“We noticed all kinds of other senses popping into those stories: How the creamy texture felt on a warm, crunchy bagel. The sight of dipping foods directly into a tub of Philly. The sounds of the city slipping away,” Field says. “So, we set out to create multi-sensorial, immersive worlds.” (Irma Thomas’ feathery track “Take a Look” enhances the ethereal mood.)

Call it a quest for schmear perfection, though that’s a different campaign entirely. Here, the brand whips up scenarios reminiscent of Lurpak’s luscious taste odysseys.

It’s fantastical fluff that’s easy on the eye, achieved through a combination of practical sets and VFX. The team built that kitschy cosmic crash-pad from scratch. When can we move in?

“We wanted to enrich our understanding and empathy for our consumer ‘target’ as human beings,” Field says. “Along the way, we learned that they love food, music and travel. But they’re often on autopilot, which can leave them numb to the experiences at their fingertips. We knew our communications had to appeal in new, more immersive and enticing ways to break through that numbness. This campaign dramatizes the rich sensorial experiences that give pleasure and feeling in the everyday.”

CREDITS

Agency Credits: GUT Agency 
Anselmo Ramos – Founder, Creative Chairman
Carmen Rodriguez – Chief Client Officer, Partner
Paulo Fogaca – COO, Partner
Ricardo Casal – ECD, Partner
Juan Pena Plaza – ECD, Partner
Bruno Mazzotti – Creative Director
Dean Paradise – Creative Director
Jose Ramirez – ACD
Jeff Schermer – ACD
Lauren Cooper – ACD
Cara Johnson – ACD
Monique Beauchamp Estrella – Account Director
Carolina Foster – Management Supervisor
Diana Hernandez – Account Supervisor
Veronica Perez – Sr. Account Executive
Claire Golden – Project Manager, Account Services
Renata Neumann – Head of Production
Solana Froment – Producer
Fernando Ribeiro – Global Chief Strategy Officer
Bruno Steffen – Strategy Director
Maria Fernanda Perez – Senior Planner
Guido Fusetti – Head of Art
Cristina Cornejo Ayala – Creative Manager
Junia Parodi – Creative Manager
Kristy  Garcia – Sr. Social Project Manager 

Agency Credits: Starcom
Amber Wingert – VP, Director
Jordan Mallace – Associate Director
Abby Flynn – Supervisor
Brooke Tinsman – Senior Associate
Liz Reed – Director, Video Investment
Sammie Hill – Associate Director, Video Investment
Taylor Slattery – Supervisor, Print
Beatriz Calderon – Senior Associate, Print 

Client Credits: Philadelphia
Jess Vultaggio – Vice President, Head of Strategy & Development – Meal Foundations & Coffee
Vikram Singh –  Vice President, General Manager – Cheese 
Anne Field – Equity and Platform Strategy Lead, Cheese 
Basak Oguz – Director of Marketing, Philadelphia Cream Cheese
Erica Watkins Ryan – Brand Manager, Philadelphia Cream Cheese
Keenan White – Senior Associate Brand Manager, Philadelphia Cream Cheese
Christina Brown – Senior Analyst, Philadelphia Cream Cheese
Melanie Guidotti – Senior Associate Brand Manager, Equity and Platform Strategy, Cheese

Production: Prettybird
Director: Ian Schwartz 
Executive Producer: Suzanne Hargrove
Director of Production: Tracy Hauser 
Producer: Greg Haggart
Line Producer: Ira Nepomenko
Service Company: radioaktivefilm
Director of Photography MATYAS ERDELY

VFX, Finishing: MPC 
Creative Director: Morten Vinther
Shoot Supervisor: Ivan Lopez Hernandez
Sr. Executive Producer: Camila De Biaggi
Sr. Executive Producer Color: Meghan Lang
Sr. Producer: Mark Driscoll
VFX Coordinator: Lori McCrory
Mid Line Producer: Chitra Vinod
Colorist: Dimitri Zola
Color Assist: Taylor Pool
CG Supervisor: Corinne DeOrsay
Sr. Effects Artists: Andy Sheng
Sr. Compositor: Andrew Roberts
Compositing Team: Piotr Bednarczyk, Pedro Acosta, Navid Santi, Jim Sprattling, Daryl Bruinsma, Kathleen Kirkman, Navid Sanati
Motion Design: Joe Mckedanz, Corey Diamond
Concept Artist: David Kang
Prep: Ajith Raj, Akash Mishra, Amit Karnik, Anilkumar Madhavan, Jhinku Lal Gupta, Kudrat Hossain Sk, Mohanakrishnan C, Prashant Mohite,Sangram Londhe, Yogesh Powar
Roto: Bhavesh Subhash Chaudhari, Deepak Gupta, Digvijay Patil, Digvijay Patil, Gokulakrishnan M G, Hrushikesh Tarade, Karan Jadhav, Onkar Ghatage, Raghvendra Singh, Rahul Mane, Sarita Chauhan, Shamim Zamir Khan, Vishal Devkar
Matchmove: Avaneetharan Karuppasamy, Mohammad Qasim, Shakti Jadhav, Suhas N
Digital Matte Painting: Sachin Dhapudkar S, Mudraboina Vamsi Krishna

Sound Design: Ballad
Final mix: Ballad
Sound designers : Philip Nicolai Flindt & Adrian Aurelius 
Final mix: Philip Nicolai Flindt & Adrian Aurelius 
Executive Producer : Gregers Maersk Moeller

Editorial – Rock Paper Scissors East
Managing Director – Eve Kornblum
Producer – Lisa Barnable
Editor – Mikkel EG Nielsen
Assistant Editor – Alex Liu