Thailand – In the true sense of making lemonade out of lemons in life, Thai dairy brand Dutch Mill decided to release a film about the struggles it went through to launch its latest commercial that had the goal of introducing its new product, Dutch Mill Selected Rich Espresso coffee-flavored milk.
The star of the film is the five-member crew of Wunderman Thompson Thailand, the agency which worked on the planned commercial. In a documentary-style film, it took viewers through how the original 50-member team of the agency had been downsized to just five and how the last men standing made the best of the situation.
The goal of the commercial is to demonstrate the journey of fresh milk and rich espresso coffee through the Rube Goldberg machine. The machine is the famous chain-reaction type of machine which often connects unrelated devices to perform a simple task in an overly complicated way.
Titled the “The Lockdown Rube Goldberg,” the production crew documented the Herculean task of engineering and filming the complex machinery it has envisioned for the commercial with a 5-member crew over three grueling months.
Under the governmental policy in Thailand, which remains in heavy lockdown, commercial shoots are restricted to no more than five people on set, which poses a huge challenge to all production crews.
Wunderman Thompson Thailand’s ECD Thasorn Boonyanate said that through their efforts, they aim to prove that it’s possible for brands to launch communication under a 5-person production limit.
“Not only did we commission the crew to make this documentary to promote themselves, but we also diverted a portion of our agency fee to hire 70 production staff who are currently out of work. The truth is we all need each other to get through COVID-19 together,” said Boonyanate.
Ultimately, in the end, the agency attained sweet victory, making Dutch Mill, the client, happy.
At the end of the film, the finished commercial was shown, where as a conclusion, it connects how the new drink by Dutch Mill helps to make one feel ‘strong’ in any situation.
Raviwan Mahakachaporn, the marketing director of Dutch Mill, said, “In this lockdown situation, it is tough for all of us but especially for freelance workers who are not on a payroll. They need all the support they can get, and we are happy to be their working partner. We hope this video will cheer you up and fuel your strength to fight another day.”
According to the agency, within three days, the video had already received over 4,000 shares and four million organic views.
The current campaign follows Dutch Mill’s support of more than 200 Mum-and-Pop shops in Thailand during the pandemic which saw it diverting its advertising spend for user-generated geo-targeted ads for the local stores.
