Portfolio: Rethink #hangry

Rethink #hangry

We often say that we are “excited” or “pumped” or even “tickled” to work on specific projects. For this one, we really mean it. The nerds at LAI Video hopped into a school bus-themed RV for what’s becoming one of our signature road trip campaigns, asking big brand restaurants and local communities to rethink the term “hangry” for Share Our Strength’s latest No Kid Hungry initiative.

"I'm Mad As Hell & I'm Going To Animate A Video"

Look. The statistics are startling. They show that 1 in 6 kids don’t have enough to eat. Every day. And in America! But rather than evoking an empathetic emotion (perhaps with subtle music and slow zooms on photos of sad kids), we wanted something more active. More action-oriented. More… angry. We asked America to rethink the popular slang term “hangry” to get mad about hunger. Justin and Tiffany’s carefully-crafted introductory video used bold type and orange visuals to encourage viewers to unleash their hanger and record a testimonial. Something short. Something loud. Something that can collectively let the country know that we’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take it anymore!

LAI Video No Kid Hungry Hangry Bus Tour Animation

LAI Video No Kid Hungry Hangry Bus Tour Favata and Kiosk

Designing UX For Mobile & Parking Lots

The keystone animation lived on a microsite that housed an ever-growing video gallery of hangry voices. The site was designed for an easy three-step process that had users quickly uploading a five-second clip and sharing it on their preferred social channels. As users posted their videos at home, at work and on mobile, our road warriors used the same core interface to collect in-person testimonies. LAI Video's Senior Creative Director, Jams Favata, embedded a large tablet screen into a custom-designed kiosk that encouraged spectators and local community members to record on-site messages in front our signature bus.

Activating the Event Activations

No Kid Hungry has been raising awareness through its successful Dine Out for No Kid Hungry program—a year-round, restaurant-led effort to raise funds for NKH and positive vibes for the brands. For Rethink #hangry, we escalated Dine Out in a big way by physically meeting with a select 20 of the 11,000 participating restaurants, driving the bus in front of their stores and supercharging their planned events. For one month, our crew joined forces with the No Kid Hungry team to setup shop outside of specific franchises, breweries and burger grills. From trampolines and outdoor cookouts to morning talkshows and celebrity endorsements, the partner restaurants rolled out the red carpet for the yellow bus… and we captured every moment.

LAI Video No Kid Hungry Hangry Bus Tour On-Site Crew

LAI Video No Kid Hungry Hangry Bus Tour Ted's Bulletin

The Gift Of Video

On-site, our cinematographers Jun and Phil captured the festive, almost carnival-like atmosphere of each stop, using drones to depict the diverse geography and documentary techniques to embrace the campaign's heart. Producers Tori and Cat interviewed folks about hunger, prompting participants with specific talking points and challenging passerbyers to get hangry, donate and spread the word. And as we rolled from Times Square in New York City to Los Angeles, California, our on-site editors, James Favata and Rob cut together promotional videos from previous stops—leaving behind a timely, professionally-produced keepsake for each mega-brand to release on their own social platforms.

If The World Could Only Be A Little Hangrier

While Dine Out is still very much active, The Rethink #hangry bus Tour can be considered a success, as the sub-campaign saw millions of social posts, thousands of visits to Dine Out’s website, hundreds of hangry videos and dozens of celebrity endorsements. But in the end, what truly exceeded No Kid Hungry’s expectations, was the value in personally visiting partner restaurants—driving a big yellow school bus up to their doorsteps and engaging with their community. Standing behind the signature orange sunglasses, the smiling faces of the LAI Video crew captured and created memorable experiences for the patrons of restaurants like Denny’s and Arby’s and BJ’s and reminded customers that these brands stand behind powerful, worthwhile causes. That when enough people and towns and businesses get together, ending something like childhood hunger becomes a little bit more possible.