POSTMATES THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON FOOD

STRATEGY
People crave the feelings food gives you.

OVERVIEW
Postmates operates in a very crowded field dominated by food delivery services focused on convenience messaging. We saw an opportunity to connect with people about their food feelings. The same dopamine receptors that fire when you do drugs, fire when you eat something you love. Neuroscience gave us a direct line to ape the most famous anti-drug campaign in history, complete with heads cracking open like eggs.

Case Study

EXECUTION
To connect with locals, we sought out beloved venues and types of food with serious fan bases. We worked with Nexus Design and commissioned nine artists and animators, from claymation to celluloid scratch film, to communicate the sensation of different types of food. We then enlisted an army of musicians to match those unique vibes. I flew to London to work directly with Nexus and our friends at Soundtree for music and sound design.

This is Your Brain on: Nashville Hot Chicken (artists: Veronica Solomon and Gustaf Holtenäs)

This is Your Brain on: Soup Dumplings (artist: Shynola)

This is Your Brain on: Boba Tea (artist: Laurie Rowan)

This is Your Brain on: Donuts (artist: Angela Kirkwood)

This is Your Brain on: Sushi (artists: Lina Reidarsdotter Källström and Louise Silfversparre of Double Up Studio)

SOCIAL
We spread our warning message all over social. The short format was baked into the idea of the campaign. We accomplished in :06 - heads cracked open, food was featured, our animations were punchy.

This is Your Brain on: Ginger Shot (artist: Fantasista Utamaro)

This is Your Brain on: Boba Tea (artist: Laurie Rowan)

PROCESS
For the statics, I wanted to take it a step further. We used cigarette warning labels as our design inspiration for our branding. We commissioned artists Akiko Steherenberger and Jenn Stark to create murals and OOH spectaculars to promote the food and beloved restaurants, with placements that reminded people to order on the spot should their cravings hit. We got our hands dirty and built 12 OOH assets on our own own, in too many sizes to count. I rolled up my sleeves and spent a few months in the lab, painstakingly crafting each one. Not a lot of budget on this one so you do what you need to do. When it came time to do the captures and build the case study, I found myself at all hours of the night shooting drone footage and stills of our placements, the most questionable being 1am on skid row.

RESULTS
Press:
https://www.adweek.com/creativity/adnatomy-postmates-brain-food-ads/
https://www.itsnicethat.com/news/postmates-this-is-your-brain-on-food-animation-270923
https://www.commarts.com/exhibit/postmates-campaign
https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/this-is-your-brain-on-food-postmates-famous-tagline/
https://www.luerzersarchive.com/best-of-the-week/
https://www.lbbonline.com/news/work-of-the-week-220923
https://lbbonline.com/news/euphoria-comfort-and-pleasurable-pain-behind-the-postmates-ads-that-visualise-your-brain-on-food
https://designtaxi.com/news/425130/Postmates-Illustrates-How-Our-Brains-React-To-Foods-In-Whimsical-Animations/
https://www.thedrum.com/news/2023/09/21/postmates-taps-la-artists-illustrate-foodies-love-affairs-with-their-desired-dishes
https://www.thedrum.com/news/2023/09/27/best-ads-the-week-hip-hop-s-healthcare-exhortation-olivia-rodrigo-s-smooth-sony-spot
https://roastbrief.us/postmates-fever-dream-campaign-explores-the-visceral-emotions-evoked-by-food-favorites/
https://shots.net/news/view/postmates-food-chain-of-thought
https://www.skwigly.co.uk/nexus-design-studio-creates-this-is-your-brain-on-food-identity-series-for-postmates/
https://www.thestable.com.au/mother-la-postmates-this-is-your-brain-on-food-you-know-you-want-it/
https://www.creativeboom.com/inspiration/mothers-campaign-for-food-delivery-service-postmates-gets-to-the-heart-of-our-love-for-food

Recognition:
One Show Silver Pencil / Craft / Art Direction

Role: Creative Director, Mother
Director: Nexus Studios