I wasn’t old enough to enjoy the second summer of love. But I remember becoming obsessed with smiley faces, neon colours and dayglo t-shirts in primary school. By the time I did go clubbing, the scene had changed and had moved from illegal parties to commercialised events. The music had seeped into popular culture, too. The Shamen’s Ebeneezer Goode, released in 1992, captured the tail-end of that era, but it became a cheeky wink to those good times – an in-joke our parents didn’t understand. Which is why a new ad by Faith In Nature made me both smile and grimace this morning. It raised the question: am I now old?
You know if a brand uses a classic tune from your youth, you’re in trouble. It means you’ve unwittingly become the main target. The generation that has the cash. Move over Boomers, we’re next, type thing. Not to be harsh, but Faith In Nature taking a rave anthem and reworking it to make it accessible for a family teatime slot on Channel 4 is every sign you need that life moves pretty fast.
But instead of the usual lyrics, it’s changed to “Bees R good” and “Trees R good” and “Bees n trees R good”. It’s an earworm you’ll thank me for all day. And it sits at the heart of Faith In Nature’s first-ever television ad. If you’ve not heard of them, they make shampoo and soap that’s kind on the planet. It just won Channel 4’s B Corp competition, which gave it a broadcast slot to advertise its products – an opportunity it could never otherwise afford.
Hence, the TV ad. So how do you create something as an independent brand when you’ve only got one shot? Well, in this case, you star Sasha, Faith In Nature’s customer services executive, as the bee. And then you ask a bunch of mates to get involved, too. The costumes and props were built by hand from delivery boxes and materials rescued from skips, and there’s no use of CGI anywhere. Talk about living the brand. Just a nice load of folk, dressed up in cardboard, singing a rave chorus. Lovely.
“We were only ever going to do this in a Faith In Nature way,” says Hannah Whittaker, managing director. “Fifty-two years of independence grows something of a DIY spirit. Making our first TV ad is a huge moment for us, but we didn’t want to suddenly start behaving like a big corporation. We wanted it to feel unmistakably Faith In Nature. A bit weird, very human and ultimately something that makes people feel good.”
The concept comes from Simeon Rose and Anne Hopkins of creative agency Dream Quickly, who also sit on Faith In Nature’s board. “This is a celebration not just of Nature, but of what it is to be human,” say Rose and Hopkins. “Faith In Nature is more big family than big corporation, so everyone in the film is a friend and everything you see has been crafted with joy and a human hand. We still can’t quite believe everyone who said yes, said yes.”
A major TV spot like this is a “pipe dream” for most independents, says Jasmine Meaden, head of marketing. “We’ve always believed everyone should be able to go natural and that sustainability doesn’t have to be more expensive or complicated. We hope this ad does exactly what our products do, makes people feel good.”
The film was produced by Blink Productions and directed by John Ogunmuyiwa. Costumes were made by Heidi Plant and the reworked track by Siren Music. The spot will be premiered on Channel 4 at 7pm on Sunday 4 October.
