Philo Tackles "Streaming Stress" in New Brand Campaign

Jul. 13, 2022

Is your "To Watch" list longer than your "To Do" list? Struggling to keep up with water-cooler chat when you haven’t binged the latest series? Wondering how many streaming platforms you're supposed to be paying for, exactly? Then Philo’s new campaign from Brooklyn-based agency Red Antler is just for you.

Philo, the San Francisco-based streaming platform created to build a better TV experience, has launched "Channel Comfort," its largest brand campaign to date. The national campaign is out now and running through September with placements across cable TV, YouTube, and pre-roll. An OOH/Print campaign launches in September, with OOH blitzes in Memphis and Chicago.

Lindsay Brillson, Executive Creative Director at Red Antler said:

"There's so much pressure associated with TV these days, and Philo is the antidote. We wanted to create a campaign that encourages viewers to sit back, relax, and truly become their most comfortable selves—whatever that might look like. TV used to be about unplugging, but now many of us struggle to keep up with everything we’re expected to binge in one sitting – not to mention all the different platforms. Philo is a peace offering amid the streaming wars.”

 

The average American household subscribes to 4.7 different streaming services, and on average spends almost 20 minutes a day scrolling (and scrolling and scrolling) deciding what to watch. This means that there’s more choice and more pressure than ever to intentionally pick what to watch next. As a counterpoint, Philo offers 60+ channels of live and on-demand TV, so viewers can easily put on their favorites without needing to navigate the endless scroll. In the commercial, a young woman looks daunted by her television, paralyzed by the sheer volume of show choices and streaming outlets. Philo presents an alternate reality where all you have to do is turn on the TV to instantly relax, and transform into your most comfortable self: your own personal "Comfort Creature." These Comfort Creatures (furry, shiny, even multi-armed beings) were brought to life through a mixture of actors, puppeteers, and animatronics. Each is based on a TV-watching behavior or style consumers can see themselves in, from Comfy Carla, who knows there’s nothing better than zoning out at the TV after a long day of work, to Six-Screen Scrubber, a multitasking bathtub octopus who watches while on the phone, paying taxes, and playing with the dog.

Matt Stein, Head of Brand & Creative Strategy at Philo said:

"At Philo, we appreciate the power of television and the important role it plays in our lives. When we launched in 2017, we had one mission—to create a better way to watch TV. We saw an opportunity to build the streaming service that we always wanted, not just as employees, but as consumers and huge TV fans. As we embarked on this new brand campaign, we were already aware of Red Antler’s stellar reputation in the industry via their prior work, but we were truly impressed with their team of creatives and strategists during the process they got us, and we got them and we’re beyond thrilled with the results." 

 

Shot over two days in Mexico City, the campaign was produced in partnership with women-owned production companies Honor Society and The Producers. Bandit Editorial enhanced the magic of the comfort creatures with VFX and post-production. In August, Philo will introduce The Comfort Channel, an original channel designed for Philo that promises instant streaming bliss, no decisions needed. Viewers can expect to program from enjoyable, "always there for you" networks like VH-1, Nickelodeon, History Channel, Hallmark, and HGTV. In a sea of streaming stress, Philo is bringing back the comforting experience of linear, live TV to everyone's line-up of services. Look for the cozy, cushy brand identity system designed by Red Antler across Comfort Channel touchpoints, including interstitials with appearances by the Creatures themselves. Red Antler has refined its offering year after year to better support clients through advertising for brands like Hinge, Prose, and now Philo. Today’s competitive cycles require more and more from new brands. It’s no longer enough to have an amazing product and well-designed brand system – successful companies need to have every single piece in place. Working together under one roof, Red Antler’s brand, advertising, digital, and industrial design teams help their clients tell cohesive and memorable stories across the entire brand experience.