Imagine your gut bacteria as a literal work of art

If you must know, Ad Nut’s gut microbiota is happy and thriving with all the cashews and acorns Ad Nut guzzles on the regular. But Ad Nut hears that humans sometimes struggle with regular visits to the lavatory, or what Ad Nut’s English mates might often call ‘the loo’. And Ad Nut hears that humans sometimes need… a nudge to get it all out.

Enter No Ugly, a New Zealand brand that needed a way to market its Gut+ tonic beverage. The beverage is said to contain some two billion probiotic colony-forming units and a bunch of other properties that are supposedly excellent for digestion and general lavatory frequency.

Instead of relying on toilet humour, partner agency Droga5 Aotearoa came up with the idea to display healthy bacteria—invisible to the naked eye—under the microscope and paint it in a thousand colours.

To create the visuals, the agency collaborated with a microbiologist and used agar plates as a canvas to grow the bacteria. Then, the bacteria was left out at human body temperature for several hours to bring out the kaleidoscopic visuals when colour was added.  

The artwork is intended to reflect a thriving microbiome and “the natural beauty that exists inside when your gut is at its best”.

Ad Nut likes that the mechanisms of one’s gut—something that isn’t necessarily associated with aesthetic beauty—is given a makeover to indicate good health. A crafty way to drive home the message that ‘beauty is on the inside’.

The campaign, titled ‘The Bacteria That Grew a Campaign,’ comprises OOH, press and social, and is supported by a ‘making of’ film (see above) that discusses how the agency cultivated the bacteria for the purposes of the photo shoot.

CREDITS

Client: No Ugly
Director / Co-Founder: Aaron Taylor
General Manager: Sara Eichmann

Creative Agency: Droga5 Aotearoa, part of Accenture Song
Chief Executive Officer: Storm Day
Chief Creative Officer: Damon Stapleton
Associate Creative Director: Liz Richards
Associate Creative Director: Nick Dellabarca
Art Director: Zac Nairn
Copywriter: Casey Clarke
Creative Services Manager: Emma Smyth
General Manager / Head of Integrated Production: Rosie Grayson
Producer: Callum Crabb
Design Lead: Lucinda Fortescue-Hansen
Designer: Vivian Heng
Finished Artist: Lisa Stowers
Group Business Director: James Allan
Business Manager: Lily Tootill

Photographer: Victoria Baldwin
DoP: Fergus Cahill
Assistant: Anton Mauer
Retouching: Sixty Four Ltd – Scott Nadin

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.