Geoffrey Chang, Creative Lead at eight&four, takes us behind the scenes of an electrifying 360 campaign for Yeo Valley Organic’s expanding Kefir range. With inspiration sparked by the infectious energy of an 80s hit, Chang and his team transformed a simple brief into a dynamic narrative that marries bold visuals with innovative production techniques.
From custom camera rigs for seamless match cuts to choreography led by a West End performer, every detail was designed to celebrate kefir’s role in boosting gut health while adding a playful, energetic twist. Dive into this in-depth interview to discover how finding your daily groove can turn a health product into an irresistible cultural movement.
What was the brief?
To create a 360 campaign for Yeo Valley Organic’s growing Kefir range, across OOH, social, digital, retail and print. The aim was to drive awareness of all the different yogurt formats and consumption moments throughout the day to encourage daily intake for good gut health. The campaign was designed to appeal to health-conscious consumers who want an easy, natural way to boost their gut health.
We came up with a concept that inspired viewers to 'Find your daily groove' across different creative assets, including a 30s hero ad, 15s cutdowns, TikTok-first videos, YouTube bumpers and photography.
How did the initial pitch/brainstorming phase go?
One of the initial thoughts was around how we can ladder back up to the masterbrand messaging: “Delicious is at the heart”. Which immediately got us thinking about the classic 80s song “Groove is in the heart”. One simple title slide, and subtle misdirection, later: “Groove is in the gut” – and we were suddenly singing the song on our office rooftop. True story.
This music-driven approach gave way to the singular idea of people ‘finding their groove’, with kefir providing the daily kick-start. Yeo’s range of on-the-go formats gave us plenty of opportunity to weave in different round-the-clock consumption moments, packing a lot of action into the 30s hero spot. This helped inform some of the hand-off transitions – treating the product like a baton – to make all the scenes as connected as possible.
What was the process behind ideating the concept?
Once everyone latched onto the song, we went back to the original music video for more visual inspiration. The psychedelic patterns and bobbing heads had a fun charm and energy. The striking patterns even looked like the 14 different types of cultures, if you looked at them under a microscope.
Visually, the patterns of the new kefir packaging had a striking quality, so we decided to use these as our so-called fruity kaleidoscopes, which we had loads of fun animating in post, along with the on-screen copy. These brand assets show up across the creative output.
In the end, we were unable to license the Deelite track, so found a catchy alternative from cult faves Smash Mouth instead. Having a licensed song gave us another creative thread to use throughout all our video assets, from YouTube to TikTok.
What was the production process like?
Everything was produced in-house, from motion graphics and text animation to sound design and grading, meaning everything ran smoothly.
What was the biggest challenge during production? How did you overcome it?
Henry Scriven, Director, eight&four: For the match-cut sequence, where three different people drink the yogurt while the product remains perfectly centre frame, we engineered a custom rig that affixed the yogurt bottle directly to the camera. A hidden arm, discreetly placed behind the drinker’s forearm, was used to guide the product towards them while maintaining a fixed spatial relationship with the lens.
This ensured seamless alignment across multiple takes. By carefully choreographing the movement and using precise marks for hand positioning, we achieved a perfect frame-to-frame match cut in post-production, where the transition between drinkers felt instantaneous and fluid.
What is one funny or notable thing that happened during production?
One of our colleagues, Alice, is actually a trained dancer and performer in the West End. So she choreographed the whole dance sequence! We did test shots for the pre-vis prancing around the office… and thus, the Yeo Valley Shake was born.
What’s the main message of this project and why does it matter?
The key message? "Find your daily groove" – a fun, memorable way to highlight the habitual intake of kefir and keep your gut health in check. Softening the language allowed us to play in a more unexpected territory for the yogurt category. Gut health doesn’t have to be stale, pale and boring!
We're grateful to have collaborative clients who were open to dynamic ideas. In fact, the wonderful Co-Owner Sarah Mead gave us license to be even more eccentric and out-there with the final concept.
Can you describe the creative spark or inspiration behind the initial concept? Was there a specific moment or insight that ignited the idea?
Singing Groove is in the Heart!
Can you discuss any unique or unconventional production techniques or approaches used to bring the idea to life?
Henry Scriven, Director, eight&four: For the fridge POV shot, we modified a real fridge by removing the back panel and having the art department fully dress the interior to maintain authenticity. The camera was positioned inside the fridge cavity, with any potential light leaks from the open back blacked out using duvetyne to ensure complete control over exposure.
To enhance realism, we integrated a small LED panel into the fridge ceiling to mimic practical interior lighting. This setup allowed us to achieve a clean, immersive POV shot of our protagonist opening the fridge and retrieving the yogurt while maintaining natural light falloff and depth.
How did you ensure that the concept remained innovative and stood out in a crowded marketplace?
We wanted to own the emotional feeling that energy-boosting kefir gives you. Our narrative featured 3 characters all consuming different types of kefir formats, connected by seamless dynamic transitions, and united by the feel-good effect of the yogurt.
To stand out, we made sure we captured as much grooviness as possible for Yeo, with bags of personality, from bold colour palette, wardrobe and casting choices to playful elongated copy and exaggerated VO. The dance sequence required careful choreography, while our in-house motion graphics designers expertly brought the colour bursts and animated text to life.
What do you hope it achieves for the brand?
Make Yeo Valley Organic the number 1 brand for Kefir across the country, as well as bring a dollop of joy to the category.
Credit list for the work?
Agency: eight&four
Creative Lead: Geoffrey Chang
Creative Lead: Natasha Barnden
Director: Henry Scriven
DOP: David Cawley
Producer: Amy Bath
Producer: Anne-Sarah Huet
Editors: Shaun Spark, Michael Dawson, Rosie Sutcliffe-Smith
Colourist: Michael Dawson
Senior Creative: Harriet Gray
Motion Creative: Ben Stillman
Ops Director: Rachel Tinney