Bad Luck Barry (Jos is gejost)
In Belgium, when things go wrong, we say you're "gejost" (screwed). For TestAankoop, a trusted consumer organization, the challenge was to revitalize their "Complain" service. Most consumers, only 1 in 26, actually file a formal complaint when things break.
Turning "Gejost" into Growth
My goal was to use my "twisted brain" to create a character that people wouldn't just watch, but one they would recognize themselves in—prompting them to finally take action. We needed to turn a frustrating reality into an engaging campaign that would motivate consumers to stand up for their rights.
Designing the Ultimate Underdog
We introduced Jos (also known as Barry or André), a lovable, friendly, yet eternally unlucky persona. The Relatable Victim: Jos faces every modern misfortune like internet outages, canceled flights, damaged packages, and online fraud. The "Potato Head" Design: Through an iterative sketching process, I developed an approachable "potato head" look. He needed to look affable and emotionally resonant so that viewers would feel for him rather than laugh at him. The Call to Action: The message was simple: "Don't be like Jos. Dare to complain with TestAankoop".
3D Assets with a 2D Soul
To generate over two years of topical content efficiently, I pivoted the art direction to a hybrid animation style. Technical Innovation: We used 3D assets but animated them in a 2D style. This gave Jos expressive, high-quality movement while maintaining a rapid production cadence that allowed us to respond to current events (like rising energy prices) quickly. Art Direction: I oversaw the entire transition from my initial hand-drawn conceptual sketches to the final 3D production handled by Mr. 81.
Articles and mentions about the campaign
This campaign was a multi-year collaborative effort at AdSomeNoise. It was a privilege to work with this talented crew.
