On behalf of the entire tobacco industry, we'd like to say "Thanks"
Did the tobacco industry really just release a nationwide ‘thank you’ campaign? To show appreciation for their partners, the media and of course their loyal customers for using their products?
Of course this isn’t real. Wefilm collaborated with creative agency Hammerfest to create a brash campaign 'on behalf' of this absurd and outdated industry. One that thrives on a product that kills its own customers and knows it.
Together we created this film in the style of a ‘corporate video with a twist’. Viewers will recognise the familiar businesspeople in their suits, the open office spaces, the upbeat music. But we tweaked all of these elements for a subtle alienating effect. The images are grimy and brownish, the camera-movement uncomfortable, the corporate music has a dark and sickening undertone and the people have a vacant soulless look in their eyes.
The one minute main film is accompanied by several unique shorts created specifically for social media platforms.
“We lose customers all the time, that’s part of the game. But thanks to our loyal partners we always gain new ones. So we are deeply grateful to all of them.”
With this project we evoke a sense of outrage: how can an industry that straight up kills their own customers be this ‘normal’?! It’s surreal to see them talking about their target audience, their promotional strategy, their sales partners. But that is the reality of the tobacco industry.
This needs to change. Right after this a nationwide follow-up campaign will launch called “Doei Tabaksindustrie! (Bye Tobacco!)” It consists of many initiatives aimed at young people to discourage smoking and ‘de-normalize’ the tobacco industry.
