“It is said that if you eat octopus you will be cursed. This curse is called the Octocurse.”
In an effort to raise awareness of octopus farming, animal rights group PETA turns to parody and dark humor to urge people to stop eating octopus. The campaign is anchored by a film that emulates 70s science fiction series.
The octopus, which is considered the most intelligent of the mollusk family, and sometimes called ‘Einsteins of the Sea’, are under threat from octopus farms, according to the campaign created by Grey London and directed by Jeff Low.
“We are busily searching for intelligent life in space while we still eat the thinking, feeling life forms on our own planet,” said Vanessa Johansson, Anti-Speciesism Project Leader at PETA.
“Octopuses, for example, are capable of complex thought processes: they can navigate mazes, use tools, and learn how to do such things as unscrew lids simply by watching. Yet every year, hundreds of thousands of these clever cephalopods are killed in crude ways for a snack. Because it’s often hard to reach people with these simple facts, PETA has partnered with Grey London – to give viewers food for thought and encourage them to show kindness to these animals by leaving them off their plates.”
David Wiggleworth, Executive Creative Director at Grey London added: “PETA wanted one thing…for people to stop eating octopus. It’s a serious brief that we tackled with a silly answer; by creating a very ‘real’ curse. And that curse? If you eat one of these creatures, you will turn into one. An idea as dark and dumb as this needed one man to bring it to life, my fiendishly funny friend Jeff Low. Huge thanks to him and Biscuit for helping us realise this madness. Stay Human people. Don’t eat Octopus.”
Credits
Client: PETA UK
Vice President of Programmes: Elisa Allen
Anti-Speciesism Project Leader: Vanessa Johansson
Creative Studio: Grey London
Global CCO :Javier Campopiano
President&CCO: Laura Jordan Bambach
ECD: David Wigglesworth
Head of Art: Costanza Rossi
Creative Directors: Cesar Herszkowicz & Alexandru Vasile
Creative: Cameron Sutherland
CSO: Raquel Chicourel
Agency Planner: Asad Shayk
Joint Managing Director: Jonny Tennant-Price
New Business Director: Katherine Goodale
Group Business Director: Ayesha Datoo
Executive Producer: Maxine Hose
Agency Senior Producer: Anthony Borkett
Head of Design: Sunir Patel
Designer: Stuart Leung
Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks UK
Producer: Kwok Yau
Executive Producer: Samantha Chitty
Managing Director/Executive Producer: Rupert Reynolds-Maclean
Head of Production: Polly du Plessis
Production Manager: Thom Green
Director: Jeff Low
D.O.P.: Matthew Emvin Taylor
Production Design: Lucie Red
Editing Company: (offline) Shift Post
Post-Production: Untold
Editor: Saam Hodivala
Colourist: Julien Alary
VFX Supervisor: Alex Kulikov
VFX Artists: Michael Korniltsev/Felicia Petersen/Lucas Girault/
Lewis Hodd
Online Supervisor: Richard Harris
Executive Producer: Ian Berry
Producer: George Reid
Audio Post-Production: 750mph
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