Making the freezer aisle cool again. Foster Farms wanted to position its corn dogs as a practical, protein-filled option for busy families. After our team spoke with more than 100 mothers and kids across the country, we landed on a simple insight: when kids get hungry, that hunger can take over everything.

“Monster Appetites” brought that idea to life through an insatiable furry creature that grows larger and more disruptive with every passing minute. I helped translate our consumer research into the creative platform, interviewed kids and wrote scripts for the campaign.

Directed by Emmy winner Dave Laden, the spot combined practical creature design from Legacy Effects with visual-effects compositing to create a monster that felt mischievous and memorable without making the food unappetizing.

The campaign increased ad awareness, brand awareness and purchase intent. Most importantly, it drove product sales up by more than 20% in a category where even a 3% lift was considered exceptional.

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WE’VE CREATED A MONSTER

The design of the monster was by Bodin Sterba of Legacy FX, who built two suit sizes for the shoot. The monster was shot on green screen and in situ. Significant Others then performed all of the compositing, including animating the eyes to bring the horned, hairy monster to life.

“The Monster Appetite was tricky to style,” says Franklin Tipton, partner and creative director at Odysseus Arms. “Too scary and it leaned toward unappetizing. Too silly or goofy and the idea becomes too juvenile.” Ultimately, the look suggests an escapee from Maurice Sendak or The Muppet Show, with, according to Tipton, a yellow/brownish hue designed to mirror “the texture of cornbread coating.” [Source: Significant Others]

“Monster Appetites” WWE Partnership

One of the coolest things about being a creative is watching an idea live on through someone else’s eyes. After Odysseus Arms launched “Monster Appetites,” Foster Farms’ creative commerce agency, Geometry, had our hunger monster step into the ring with a partnership with WWE.