Roaming Cattle & Rolling Waves in Supply&Demand's Whole Foods Market Campaign

Supply&Demand’s Gerard de Thame has directed the first-ever national advertising campaign for Whole Foods Market through Partners & Spade, New York.

The new campaign consists of “Beef” “Produce” and “Seafood,” a trifecta of spots highlighting the popular supermarket chain’s unwavering commitment to natural and organic foods. The campaign raises awareness of the company’s core values, successfully defining what it means to be “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store.” 

Shot in an authentic, documentary style by de Thame, the work exemplifies Whole Foods Market as a pioneer in both the natural and organic food industry. The campaign aptly focuses on the farmers, ranchers and fishermen supplying the company with its highly prized products.

Known for big budget work, De Thame resisted using a large film unit for the shoot, instead paring down to a small, flexible crew to better focus on the integrity of the brand while de Thame, a noted director of photography himself, also shot observational work alongside cinematographer Michael Coulter using the Canon C300 system. He explains there was no need for hyped-up dramatizations – rather, frank and heartfelt moments to underline the Whole Foods philosophy: “We decided not to cast on this, instead focus on the genuine farmers, fishers and ranchers working diligently to gather the best quality food possible,” he explains. “Whole Foods are organic, sustainable, open and honest, so we took that as the lead for the campaign. That ended up being a really good call. There’s a genuine rawness and honesty that comes through as a result.”

Asked of the most challenging aspect of the shoot, de Thame responds that capturing footage on the Columbia River in Oregon – one of the most dangerous water passages in the world – had its fair share of difficult moments. “The seas were rough as you’re constantly trying to focus on movement – but it was a tremendous challenge and a lot of fun,” he explains. “Shooting on the campaign with no video village or playback was also different but refreshing. It led to many unexpected moments that successfully encapsulate the ethos of the brand.” 

The campaign runs through the winter of 2015, with commercials appearing on national television as well as various print and digital outlets. 

The director has been busy of late, recently wrapping a global campaign for Puma. “Gerard is well known as a big budget director, but this is the first naturalistic, observational work he’s done stateside,” adds Tim Case, Founder/Managing Partner of Supply&Demand. “It’s proof of another area that Gerard can successfully venture into as a filmmaker.”