There are side effects to making your indoor air quality rival the great outdoors. And, no, I don’t just mean a lower power bill.
Take a look for yourself at a new national TV and digital push for Filterbuy, the brand out to upgrade every American’s HVAC game. Mind the bunnies:
It’s all been built in partnership with PDA, the indie creative studio behind Dr. Squatch’s wildly viral “Sydney’s Bathwater Bliss” limited-edition soap bars packed with essence of Miss Sweeney. Yellow Sweater production was also an invaluable team player.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Americans spend about 90% of their time indoors. Often, indoor air has 2 to 5 times more pollutants than its outdoor counterpart—so human’s natural habitats need more attention when air quality can seriously impact overall health and more susceptible populations (young children, elderly and those dealing with asthma or heart disease).
Fortune Business Insights reports the U.S. air filters market is expected to reach approximately $4.77 billion in 2026, with North America leading global adoption capturing 33% of total market share.
“Air filters are a crucial home purchase, but they’re also the ultimate low-consideration product. No one is agonizing in aisles or their digital carts over brand loyalty here,” says Filterbuy Senior Director of Growth, Hannah Abe. “Because it’s such an invisible purchase, comedy became an essential vehicle for cracking through consumer indifference.”
“That’s why the creative opportunity is so massive,” says PDA Founder + Chief Creative Officer David Yankelewitz. “When nobody else is fighting for share of voice, our mandate was: be as memorable and simple as possible to get Filterbuy permanently burned into people’s brains.”
With more than 11 million customers served and steady YoY growth, Filterbuy is scaling fast by offering high-quality materials alongside the broadest selection of filter types and sizes. That momentum is reflected in an expanded U.S. manufacturing presence and opening its first international warehouse in Toronto.
“Up until recently, our growth was fueled by search and Amazon, so pushing into top-of-funnel brand awareness is a completely new frontier for us,” notes Michael O’Brien, Filterbuy Head of Creative Performance. “We knew if we served up a generic explainer about changing your air filter, we’d lose people instantly. We have to break the pattern of what people would expect from an air filter brand.”
“We felt that the best way to make this funny idea land was for the family to be really scared. Who wouldn’t be if a moose, eagle, grizzly bear and a bunch of other animals broke into their home!?” muses Yankelewitz. “The animals themselves should be innocent and friendly—and this animation style was a great way to achieve that.”
“Something as easy as changing your air filter every three months can make a difference on the air quality you and your family breathe every day. We want to grab people’s attention and earn the right to educate them. So, when they do remember to make that change, they do it with Filterbuy,” adds Abe.
Behind The Creative
The raucous was all created and captured in a one-day shoot at an Airbnb rental. In some ways, the shoot was a family affair as the DP is dad to the two kiddos featured.
- Humping bunnies were in the original script! Now it’s one thing in a line of copy and another thing when all done and dusted, but the client never wavered in supporting inclusion. Bunnies are going to do what they do when they’re comfy and breathing easy.
- A little imagination was needed to play up to the animated animals that would be in frame, which did make for fun moments on-set and in-prep. “It was hilarious to see Yellow Sweater’s puppeteer, Scott, crouching behind the kitchen counter, wearing green gloves while he moves his hands inside a potato chip bag, pretending to be a raccoon with its head stuck inside,” adds Yankelewitz.
- It also took several harrowing takes with fishing line to get the vase to fall off the dining room table when the fox jumps onto it.
- The brand initially almost didn’t go with this concept as they were budgeted for two video outputs, but the ability to expand and build upon the concept had the team rethink the upfront scope to go all more consistently across multiple consumer touchpoints.
