Meridian: Spreading the Joy of Nut Butters

Create a 20-second animated YouTube pre-roll advert to promote Meridian’s nut butters, highlighting their commitment to using no palm oil or added sugar while showcasing their fun and approachable brand personality.

‍Challenge

‍To develop a visually engaging and memorable animated advert that effectively conveys Meridian’s unique selling points within a short time frame. The ad needed to capture attention quickly to prevent viewers from clicking the ‘skip’ button, all while staying true to Meridian’s ethos of natural simplicity.

‍Insight

‍Meridian’s nut butters are renowned for their high nut content, achieved by avoiding fillers like palm oil and sugar. This dedication to quality and transparency provided the basis for a light-hearted yet impactful creative approach, appealing to health-conscious consumers who value ethical and sustainable choices.

‍Creative Strategy

‍Working from storyboards provided by creative agency The Impossible Dream, we combined hand-drawn animation with 3D CGI to deliver a charming and distinctive visual style. This approach kept the focus on the product while adding a touch of humour to emphasise the abundance of nuts packed into every jar. The advert features:

• A playful narrative showcasing imaginative ways of squeezing more nuts into the jar.
• A hand-drawn style with wobbly lines, achieved by redrawing illustrations multiple times and repeating the frames to create movement.
• Realistic 3D CGI jars and nuts, blending seamlessly with the hand-drawn elements.
• Subtle sound design and a few mischievous escaping nuts to enhance the campaign’s light-hearted tone.

The animation was produced entirely in-house by our talented team, who meticulously crafted every detail to align with Meridian’s brand values.

‍Results

‍The campaign successfully brought Meridian’s message to life, engaging viewers on YouTube and social media with its quirky charm and clear communication of the product’s benefits. The advert strengthened Meridian’s position as a trusted and innovative leader in the natural food sector. Michael Wright, Director at Happy Hour, shared: “This project was a joy to work on. We wanted to reflect Meridian’s commitment to quality while bringing a smile to viewers’ faces. The blend of hand-drawn animation and CGI allowed us to achieve that balance perfectly.”