Big Americans: A Pizza To Die For
A campaign to die for
Dr. Oetker launched the 'Big Americans' frozen pizza brand for those seeking a hearty, quick meal. The name says it all, thick crusts and lavish toppings scream American style. Gamers, in particular, love this brand because it offers an energy-packed, filling meal without the need for lengthy preparation.
To cater to gamers, the brilliant minds at the ad agency Being There created a campaign with an enticing prize: "a lifetime supply of free pizzas!" The idea was that hunger often wins, causing gamers to let their characters die just to grab a bite of their Big Americans pizza, a true "Pizza To Die For!" Gamers could enter by submitting a unique video of their in-game character’s humorous demise, competing for the grand prize.
Note: The mentioned campaign has ended.
Agency
Client
Creating Game Worlds
Being There involved us from the concept phase. Our task: create animations of three different worlds based on popular games. This project was perfect for us as avid gamers who rarely get the chance to engage in such detailed worldbuilding.
We started by identifying games popular with the target audience and settled on "Grand Theft Auto/Red Dead Redemption, Fortnite, and The Elder Scrolls."
We then brainstormed unique, comical ways for characters to meet their ends in these worlds:
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GTA/RDR World: A cowboy robs a bank, tries to mount his horse, but accidentally pulls its tail and gets kicked into a cactus patch.
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Elder Scrolls World: A female archer, about to defeat an Elder Troll, succumbs to hunger and fires an arrow straight up, which then impales her.
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Fortnite World: A soldier, under fire, hides behind a wall. Starving, he awkwardly dances with a grenade until it explodes, showering pieces of him everywhere.
Storyboarding
Based on these game worlds we created storyboards for these narratives and a 20-second compilation of all three video's. For world design, we blended game inspirations with Big Americans’ pizza theme, pizza clouds and trees in the Fortnite-like world, pizza stained glass in the Elder Scrolls ruins, and pizza billboards in the GTA/RDR western world. Each world had its unique visual style, from realistic to cartoony.
Storyboard
Characters
Our heroes
The stars of the show where of course our heroes that are about to meet their demise. Not only was it important to make convincing game characters that fit their respective genre, but also have them fit both the game world and Big Americans' branding. Our main Heroes: the Cowboy, Archer, and Soldier, had subtle pizza-themed elements in their attire.
Not only did we create the hero characters but also multiple supporting background characters to give the impression of believable online worlds. showcasing the project's extensive scope.
The game environments
Each game had it's own unique environment. We created detailed sets with extensive backdrops while keeping the ''gamey'' aesthetic. No extremely high detailed objects or fancy lighting. We tried to create the environments as if they where part of a real game, while using post-processing effects that are quite common in modern games.
Environments
Animation Process
After character creation, we turned storyboards into moving storyboards, then into a previs (previsualization). This step-by-step approach ensured smooth, focused animation development.
We handled the main animations, the payoff (campaign logo), animations for the actor transitions, and animated interface elements. We also created banner renders for Dr. Oetker's campaign webpage.
Breakdown
Success and Recognition
The campaign was a huge success, receiving many fun submissions and reaching a broad audience. The campaign also won a bronze award at the ADCN Dutch Creative Awards 2024! Watch here the campaign video by Being There.
