Chobani and Michel Gondry Break Into Organic Song in Wieden + Kennedy's Debut Brand Campaign

America's top Greek yogurt brand has a fresh new message to share with the world: All we need is love ... and fruit. Lots of fruit. After launching a couple of product-centric ads earlier this year, Chobani debuted its first big brand campaign from new creative agency of record Wieden + Kennedy and director Michel Gondry of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind fame. The anthem spot, "Chobani Food Symphony," focuses on how tunes and food can bring people together. In keeping with the brand's community ethos, the ad stars six Chobani employees, who were chosen during an open casting call. They join an informal group that runs through a very "organic" version of the Hal David-Burt Bacharach classic "What the World Needs Now" by making music with some very unusual instruments—like amplified peaches and a banana vibraphone. [kickout id="1"] Wieden + Kennedy's first broadcast work for the brand consisted of a series of equally musical, flavor-focused spots elaborating on specific products. [kickout id="2"] [kickout id="3"] In February, the company also launched its drinkable line with another set of ads made in the same surreal style made famous by Gondry. (This BBDO FedEx campaign was the most recent of his many commercial efforts.) [kickout id="5"] [kickout id="4"] The new "Believe in food" mantra is very much in keeping with Chobani's corporate community ethos. Last year, the company gave employees a chance to own a small stake in the venture that began in an abandoned Kraft factory in upstate New York. CEO Hamdi Ulukaya also has been very vocal over the past year about his passion for helping refugees and trying to find work for them in the U.S. That position has brought negative coverage from anti-immigrant outlets like Breitbart News, which called upon its readers to boycott Chobani because of Ulukaya's pro-refugee position. (The CEO is himself a Turkish immigrant of Kurdish descent.) Chobani, which claims to have surpassed Yoplait as America's No. 2 yogurt brand this year, has greatly increased its marketing efforts in recent months by hiring an in-house chief creative officer, naming Horizon Media as its new media agency of record and picking two ad industry veterans to fill the roles of managing director and vp of marketing for emerging platforms. The company also included Ulukaya's manifesto (see below) among the press materials promoting the new campaign. Its "Believe in Food" microsite contains even more information about the company's latest ads, including profiles of the employees involved in the jam session. [kickout id="6"] CREDITS Client: Chobani Agency: Wieden + Kennedy Portland Campaign: "Fruit Symphony" Creative Directors: Chris Groom, Antony Goldstein Copywriter: Antony Goldstein Art Director: Chris Groom Integrated Production Director: Matt Hunnicutt Producer: Erin Goodsell Production Assistant: Candice Harbour Account Director: Trish Adams Account Supervisor: Kimmy Cunningham Account Executive: Lindsey Warner Business Affairs Manager: Teresa Lutz Project Manager: Carolyn Domme Production Company: Partizan Director: Michel Gondry Executive Producer: Lisa Tauscher Line Producer: Raffi Adlan Director of Photography: Shawn Kim Editorial Company: Final Cut LA Editor: Jeff Buchanan Post Producer: Sarita D'Avignon Post Executive Producer: Suzy Ramirez Color / Finish Company: The Mill Flame Lead: James Allen Nuke: Jason Bergman Associate Producer: Chris Lewis Senior Producer: Chris Harlowe Colorist: Adam Scott Telecine Producer: Diane Valera Titles/Graphics: Wieden+Kennedy Composer: Jon Brion Engineer: Eric Cadieux / Greg Koller Song: “What the World Needs Now” Producer: Raffi Adlan Mix: Company Eleven Mixer: Jeff Payne