Chatty Bear and Drummer Squirrel Sure Love Lowes Foods
Hit it, rodent!
Some ads offer subtly persuasive brand storytelling. But who needs that when you’ve got an animatronic brown spokes-bear with a squirrel on drums?
Without further ado, let’s cut to a cabin in the woods for a hairy pitch from grocery chain Lowes Foods:
Note those claws in the product shot. Deadly, but brand-building, too.
You know you want more:
And even more:
OK, three is enough.
That bear and NerdWallet’s beluga whale would probably have a lot to talk about. As for the squirrel, well, he’s no Pringles prog-rock hamster. Still, given that squirrely’s clearly dead and stuffed, he keeps a righteous beat.
“We’ve been as committed to building a personality and brand for Brown Bag snacks as we have for Lowes Foods,” says brand development director Anne Whitfield. “It’s a level of entertainment and creativity that our guests expect and appreciate, that really differentiates us from our competitors.”
Appropriately, Walrus created the work. The agency, not the marine mammal. Joe Pernice of Cardboard Spaceship directed.
“One of the weirdest aspects of the shoot was having an actor in a semi-animatronic bear suit, who couldn’t see out of it very well, and a taxidermy squirrel that’s obviously not alive, play lines off of each other,” Walrus creative director Jillian Dresser tells Muse.
“The actor behind the bear really embodied the bear—a suit only he operates. He wouldn’t allow any behind the scenes photos of him without being in full suit. It would be like seeing the wizard behind the curtain.”
Matthew Mason donned the costume, while Daniel Wisniewski provided the voice.
“The two worked in step, and by mid morning, I think they mentally became one,” Dresser recalls.
As for the squirrel, “He now lives in our office, and flaunts it any chance he can get in the background of our Zoom calls.”