Lovers’ psychedelic My/Mochi campaign features squishy type and doughy 3D characters

We’re not the only ones melting in this extraordinary heat. London-New York based creative agency, Lovers, has revealed its campaign for My/Mochi, ice cream treats which promise to “melt your mouth’s mind” – wittily abbreviated to “Mmm”. Lovers creative director, Alex Ostrowski, explains that My/Mochi are a “really weird, texturally unique thing to put in your mouth, so the campaign was an opportunity to convey that experience to people”. Alex says that the message had to feel “instinctively mouth-boggling and joyfully confusing to the mouth”.

Buoyant and bubbly animation within the campaign identity for “America’s weirdest snack” invokes an inner-child. Introducing the same playful identity of the campaign into the physical creative process, The Hague-based Yonk studio created the 3D animations by using its virtual reality sculpting process, painting in mid-air with virtual dough via VR headsets. Like Play-Doh for adult animators.

Yonk, which designed the wonderfully wacky type and animations for It’s Nice That’s Next Generation showcase, are well versed in creating bizarre worlds. Ranging from plush and bubbly type, to sometimes unsettling creatures, Yonk’s creations aim to induce both familiarity and dreamy experimentation.

The campaign’s pink and purple characters, or “wigglies” as Alex coins, aim to reflect the strangely curious sensation experienced by My/Mochi. They’re designed to make “zero sense and yet feel completely right”. The fictional creatures do indeed feel right at home in the campaign; friendly, spritely and inviting.

The campaign’s typography, equally as playful, takes its cue from the doughy texture of the mochi balls. Alex explains that they wanted the headline to feel as “desquishious” (another Alex-coined term) as the product itself. Not only does the typography aim to create a tummy-rumbling yearn for the squidgy My/Mochi, but simultaneously attempts to induce the wonderfully dreamy, pillowy state-of-mind indicative of the campaign's ads.

“The campaign’s fusion of animation and live action”, says Alex, “helps viewers appreciate the weird experience our protagonists are having.” Director Jamie Whitby aimed to have the human beings convey a “funny mixture of confusion, a momentary loss of control and pure delight” as they bite into the My/Mochi for the first time, sentiments echoed throughout Yonk’s character design. They’ve ended up calling it the ‘Mmm’ face.

The campaign will run till the end of July through TV commercials produced by Agile Films alongside outdoor and digital ads in major cities across the US.