Time travel back to 1969. 8 hippies feeling groovy waving peace signs. 12 NASA engineers with pocket protectors waving tiny American flags.
And. A food stylist making sure the sausage looks perfect.

jimmy dean, 50th anniversary

the brief
1969: a big year in history.
Two iconic photographs.
Jimmy Dean 1969 archival set recreation
Vintage kitchen set dressing detail
And. The first Jimmy Dean sausage.
Jimmy Dean sausage package hero shot
Missing from each image?
Someone enjoying Jimmy Dean sausage, completely oblivious to the moment at hand.
Period-accurate wardrobe and props
Family breakfast table scene
the approach
Reverse-engineer two iconic photographs from 1969. The new images need to fit seamlessly into the existing photos.
Director and crew on vintage set
Jimmy Dean campaign final frame
Hours of research: the cameras, lenses, film stock, lighting and camera angle.
Build NASA Mission Control and the Woodstock stage from scratch in one Chicago studio.
Cast member in period wardrobe
Set lighting and camera position
Cast actors not models. Period wardrobe, hair, and makeup down to pocket protectors, love beads and pomade.
Real-time digital compositing to confirm the fit.
Sausage cooking close-up

If we get it wrong, the joke is dead.

the deliverables
On-set production still
Jimmy Dean 50th anniversary campaign
the result
Precision recreation down to the rotary phone and documents in the cubbyholes. peace signs, and quilts on the fence.
Met the Woodstock photographer and gave him a copy of ours.
Campaign won a lot of awards. A lot. (Cannes Gold Lions. D&AD Pencils and more.)
Behind the scenes crew setup

We re-wrote a little piece of history.

TVC, Print, Digital, Making-Of Video  |  Chicago, Illinois  |  Ogilvy  |  Sandro
all work