Ulf Johansson goes nuts for Canva's squirrel
Quality Meats' cute new platform for the brand - The Thing That Makes Anything A Thing - sees an obsession with a rodent become something of a cult.
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Credits
View on- Agency Quality Meats/Chicago
- Production Company Smith & Jones
- Director Ulf Johansson
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Credits
View on- Agency Quality Meats/Chicago
- Production Company Smith & Jones
- Director Ulf Johansson
- Executive Producer Philippa Smith
- Editing Work Editorial/USA
- Editor Niles Howard
- Head of Production Gabrielle Page
- Executive Producer Drew Rissman
- Managing Director Marlo Baird
- Creative Director Kamen Markov
- VFX Artist Andrew Salter
- VFX Artist Ben Gallagher
- VFX Framestore/Chicago
- Head of Production Catherine Pavitt
- Executive Producer Jamie Hoskins
- Color Royal Muster
- Audio Post Barking Owl/Chicago
- Head of Production Elijah B Torn
- Managing Director Carol Dunn
- Producer Hannah Alter
- Composer Houston Fry
- Chief Creative Officer Gordy Sang
- Executive Creative Director Jamie Stark
- Group Creative Director Clarissa Dale
- Production Designer Steve Smithwick
- DP Andrzej Sekula
- Assistant Editor Nina Vallado
- Post Producer Rebecca Baker
- Head of Design David Lochhead
- VFX Producer Erik Sateren
- Audio Mixer Marina Killion
- Executive Producer KC Dossett
Explore full credits, grab hi-res stills and more on shots Vault
Credits
powered by- Agency Quality Meats/Chicago
- Production Company Smith & Jones
- Director Ulf Johansson
- Executive Producer Philippa Smith
- Editing Work Editorial/USA
- Editor Niles Howard
- Head of Production Gabrielle Page
- Executive Producer Drew Rissman
- Managing Director Marlo Baird
- Creative Director Kamen Markov
- VFX Artist Andrew Salter
- VFX Artist Ben Gallagher
- VFX Framestore/Chicago
- Head of Production Catherine Pavitt
- Executive Producer Jamie Hoskins
- Color Royal Muster
- Audio Post Barking Owl/Chicago
- Head of Production Elijah B Torn
- Managing Director Carol Dunn
- Producer Hannah Alter
- Composer Houston Fry
- Chief Creative Officer Gordy Sang
- Executive Creative Director Jamie Stark
- Group Creative Director Clarissa Dale
- Production Designer Steve Smithwick
- DP Andrzej Sekula
- Assistant Editor Nina Vallado
- Post Producer Rebecca Baker
- Head of Design David Lochhead
- VFX Producer Erik Sateren
- Audio Mixer Marina Killion
- Executive Producer KC Dossett
We all know that a groundhog can predict the weather, but did you know that squirrels can see calamity coming?
Such is the setup for Smith & Jones director Ulf Johansson's hilarious new spot for Canva - The Thing That Makes Anything A Thing - in which a timely interaction spirals into a celebration of all things furry-tailed.
Created by Quality Meats, the campaign actually started with a mysterious real-world stunt in Brooklyn Bridge Park, where a squirrel statue appeared without explanation alongside squirrel-themed knitting circles, choir performances, balloon vendors and posters promoting a fictional movement known as The Squirrelites, prompting confused New Yorkers to wonder what exactly was going on.
“At any given moment, there are hundreds of ideas stuck in people’s heads, but they never see the light of day - not because they aren’t good, but because not everyone has the tools to bring them to life,” explains Kristine Segrist, Canva’s Global Head of Consumer Marketing.
“With Canva, we want to empower anyone to take an idea from a spark and turn it into something the world can see, share, and engage with, even if it starts as something a little unexpected.”
“Starting a squirrel-praising movement isn’t necessarily a great idea,” added Gordy Sang, Co-Founder and Co-Chief Creative Officer at Quality Meats. “But presented thoughtfully and tastefully thanks to Canva, even the notion that squirrels-possess-some-sort-of-higher-power can seem instantly more legitimate, and ultimately kind of plausible.
"It does help that squirrels are pretty cute.”
