CJ Schwan's
Straying away from traditional food commercials, this spot by director Jake Zalutsky was all about spotlighting fun, everyday taste experiences with an authentic, fly-on-the-wall camera perspective. We were thrilled to jump in when our friends at Picture North tapped us to develop the treatment deck and right from day one, we knew this was a campaign that necessitated ditching the stiffness and gloss of traditional food commercials. Instead, we needed to craft something that embodied genuine human warmth and connection, all while effortlessly matching the ambitious scale and proud heritage of the CJ Schwan’s brand.
To get there, our visual research and art direction leaned all the way into grounded realism over slick, over-produced polish. We built the core look around candid photography, focusing heavily on textured polaroids that embraced beautiful natural flaws like film grain, soft focus, and deliberate overexposure. Alongside the stills, we pulled dynamic moving references to capture the fast-paced multimedia editing style Jake envisioned—seamlessly intercutting naturalistic video footage with snappy, high-energy photography. For the deck layout itself, we chose a bold yet simple design structure. This allowed us to contrast those raw, tactile visuals against a warm, joyful colour palette that immediately set an upbeat, welcoming mood. Every single page was carefully curated to feel much more like a personal scrapbook than a rigid presentation, making the spot’s overarching visual identity crystal clear to everyone involved in the creative process.
Ultimately, the finished campaign brought Jake’s concept to life in a way that felt wonderfully down-to-earth, and completely engaging. By leaning into that blend of honest, unscripted moments and authentic human connection, the final result nailed the exact spirit of “Taste the Moment” while celebrating the real heart and soul behind CJ Schwan’s powerhouse of a workforce.