Responses by Josh Clarricoats, cofounder, Insiders.
Background: A screen-free audio player for children, Yoto wanted a creative, beautiful ad that not only accurately captured family life but put the device into a new space differentiated from its competitors. The message behind the ad is helping tap into that feeling—common among parents—that kids need independence more than ever, but it can be hard to give it to them safely, especially when technology is involved. We wanted to show how Yoto could help kids take charge in a safe way, fostering their independence—and to show how great that can be.
Design thinking: We needed an ad that brought Yoto’s proposition to life in a way that would work across multiple markets. Yoto has a lot of great IPs on its flagship audio players, and this helped us build a story of independence, tied in the story of Peter Rabbit. It worked so well because being a kid who wants more independence resonates with kids and parents everywhere—as does The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Creating a story in this way meant it could be universally understood without awkward dubs or translations, and the “ears” device was a poetic and lovely way to tie both stories together while representing how our central character was learning and growing.
Challenges: Shooting with kids is famously challenging. It wasn’t because of the kids in question—in this case, they were fantastic—but because of the restrictions around shooting time. They’re important and necessary but certainly mean you need to run a tight ship. We used a brilliant set of twin actors plus a body double and ran it over a two-day shoot.
Favorite details: The campaign’s tagline is “for ears with a mind of their own.” And in this ad, the “ears”—the rabbit ears that grow as our character’s independence grows—are such a simple, arresting device. The ears tie together the words from The Tale of Peter Rabbit used in the ad with the girl’s actions and growing independence. They also work across markets without the need for translation—in global campaigns, you can’t rely as heavily on spoken scripts.
The ears aren’t CGI but prosthetics, created in-camera and operated by a team of experts on set. I think their being real also helped on set, especially for reactions from our actors.
New lessons: Simplify, simplify, simplify. When it comes to working with kids, the more straightforward and simple you can make the shoot, the better.
Visual influences: We had all seen the impact that real prosthetics could make in a film, so we were keen to incorporate that. Everything from Lord of the Rings to Star Wars and the recent Sweet Tooth series were influences. It worked so well, especially with young actors, and saved money on CGI too.
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