Pizza Pops made a film for weirdos by weirdos to celebrate weirdness

7/10/2019

Work

Capture decran le 2026 05 22 a 19 35 51
Logo cossette
by Cossette

Pizza Pops has been embracing their unapologetically weird nature – not a pizza, not quite a calzone… definitely weird – for years. But in a new campaign by Cossette, the brand has recruited real life weirdos to launch a rallying cry to fellow weirdos across Canada.

Pizza Pops is the category leader, but with plenty of competition, it was important to move beyond their “Weird is Good” positioning featuring actors in costumes and create a campaign that would connect with consumers and build a strong emotional affinity.

It’s definitely a good time to be weird in our culture right now and we decided to celebrate that. By choosing to work with people who are truly passionate about their ‘weird’ hobbies rather than looking at influencers or using actors, we are connecting in a personal way with our fans and inviting them to celebrate with us.
Jacob Greer
Jacob Greer, Creative Director at Cossette
Pizza Pops Longform

Cossette criss-crossed the country, visiting comic conventions and university campuses to find cosplayers, larpers, puppeteers, competitive eaters and more – not just to star in the campaign but to help create it, with a hand in everything from the wardrobe, animation, music and art direction. 

The result is “What a Time to Be Weird” an anthemic spot that speaks to all things weird and good, loaded with mixed media, animation, and of course, Pizza Pops. The campaign builds on past campaigns but targets a slightly older demographic, with the film taking place in the kind of cubicle-filled office many young Canadians are working at their first jobs out of school. 

All of us are inherently weird to some degree and celebrating this and focusing on our customers’ personal expression of what that means is a great way to tell our brand story.
New G logo 1
Paul Cuaso, Associate Marketing Director, General Mills

The digital campaign will run until November and also includes four shorts focusing on the creators and their habits. 

Credits

Client: General Mills
VP Marketing – Emma Eriksson Associate Marketing Director – Paul Cuaso Associate Marketing Manager - Liana HeeChung 
Agency: Cossette
Global Chief Creative Officer - Carlos Moreno and Peter Ignazi  ECD - James Zentil Creative Directors - Simon Clancy/Jacob Greer Associate Creative Director - Jake Bundock Copywriters - Ryan Kukec/Laura De Santis SVP, Client Service Director - Janis Lindenbergs VP, Business Lead - Anabella Mandel Group Account Director - Aniesha Farrington Senior Producer - Kristen Neamtz
Production Company - OPC Films
Director - Jono Hunter Director of Photography - Adam Marsden Exec - Harland Weiss Exec - Donovan M. Boden  Producer - Jeremiah Lapointe Producer - Max Brook Development Producer - Emily Harris Production Designer - Dylan Juckes  Wardrobe Stylist - Lea Krpan Hair & Make-up - Taylor Savage
Casting - Jigsaw Casting
Casting Director - Shasta Lutz
Offline - Outsider Editorial 
Editor - Michael Barker Assistant Editor - Scott Edwards EP - Kristina Anzlinger
VFX / Colour Studio - Artjail
VFX EP - Leslie McCartney VFX Supervisor / Lead Flame Artist - Steve Mottershead Flame Artist - Alex Shahviri VFX Artist - Matt Wilmshurst Colourist - Clinton Homuth Colour Assist - Kevin Wu 
Audio House - Apollo Studios
EP - Tom Hutch Music Director - Daenen Bramberger Music Composer Mark Dolmont