Inside the Improv Acting Driving Quest Nutrition’s Invitation to ‘Succumb’

Protein is all the rage these days. Food and drink packaging boasts protein content in bulging typography, ‘GymTok’ is perpetually concerned with whether or not we’re getting enough of it, and we’ve got a modern generation more concerned with wellness products than any previous one.

In response to this, protein snack brand Quest Nutrition is positioning itself as the ‘healthy option to go’ for when the desire for something a bit naughtier strikes, telling consumers they need not battle the instinct, and encouraging them to, per the campaign’s title, ‘Succumb’.

The three films led by Leo New York were from Publicis Groupe’s SG1, directed by Biscuit Filmworks’ Damien Shatford, and used improv actors for extra effect. Leo NY creative director Ray Ali says the spark came from always looking for different ways to create unique work that isn’t derivative.”

The work plays on the well-worn idea of the angel and devil on the shoulder, so Ray knew they’d need to augment the classic trope “to give it something fresh while keeping it simple”.

For Quest, the idea of bringing improv actors into the mix was a welcome one. Something that induced more excitement than worry about the risk, general manager Stuart Heflin tells LBB, “At Quest, we’ve always prided ourselves on pushing boundaries and taking smart creative risks. When the Leo team and our director first floated the idea of bringing improv actors into the mix, I immediately saw the potential to give the work a real sense of spontaneity and authenticity.”

Once Stuart saw how grounded the creative strategy was – the idea of dramatising the push and pull between craving and discipline – "it clicked". He adds, “It felt like the perfect opportunity to loosen the reins a bit and let genuine human reactions come through.”

Finding the sweet spot between looseness and discipline unfolds as a theme of the project’s creation itself. According to Stuart, it all came down to trust – “Both in the team and in the intent behind the risk” – and that if a new approach ladders up to a clear brand truth, it’s worth exploring. “For us, ‘Succumb’ wasn’t about trying something different for the sake of novelty; it was about finding a way to make that inner battle with cravings feel real. That’s where improv became the right creative tool.”

Discussing the decision to step outside of the box, he adds, “You don’t abandon discipline; you build guardrails that allow for discovery. We knew we had the right partners, the right concept, and the right tone. So, the question became, ‘How do we let the process unlock something only human behaviour can give us?’. That’s when I’m comfortable taking a swing.”

Strategy-wise, unpacking the workings of the inner battle were, in fact, the whole point. Leo NY strategy director Melissa Panasci describes the work as self-talk made visible. “We were bringing an internal monologue to life – the voice of health versus the voice of temptations – and that inherent duality required us to find authenticity in the performance.

“Internal battles with cravings aren't scripted or predictable – they're messy and spontaneous. If we locked everything down on paper, it would feel manufactured. The improv approach let us capture that genuine tension and unpredictability.”

As part of this, the team cast two improv actors as the voices in the hero’s head and had them argue live, off-camera, during takes. A decision which meant real-time reactions to temptation and realisation. Melissa notes that the back-and-forth wasn’t rehearsed but instinctive. “The execution method directly served the insight,” she adds.

On set, director Damien’s job was to make sure the messiness served the story rather than derailed it. Someone who believes improv works best when there’s “a nice thick foundation under it”, he explains that they approached the shoot like a “big controlled experiment”.

“We had a clear emotional spine for each scene – the push and pull between temptation and discipline – but left space around that for discovery.”

Damien also admits he expected the hard part to be building an environment where everyone – agency, client, and crew – understood the shape of the story while not knowing the exact path it would take to get there. “But, that uncertainty became the most exciting part,” he recalls. “Once everyone trusted the process and each other, the room opened up. People stopped trying to protect jokes and started playing, throwing out ideas, and surprising each other. That trust is what made the work actually funny. You cannot fake looseness. It comes from everyone feeling safe enough to take a swing.”

CD Ray felt the benefit of the looseness most acutely in lines – things they couldn’t have written at a desk. “It fundamentally gave us the ability to be truly surprised and have moments of inspiration as we pulled the work together,” he adds, noting that from his view, the industry often “sprints[s] to the final script [and can] become too familiar and comfortable with it, which means the evolution of the work stops too prematurely.”

In this case, the team deliberately kept things open, letting down those guardrails, which, for Ray, means you “readily invite new perspectives, [and] you’ll end up with a far richer palette to paint from.”

Speaking to the team shows the amount of craft sitting behind a piece of work that, on the surface, is quite light and snackable. But, for Stuart, betting on improv rather than a famous face says something bigger.

“Consumers crave authenticity more than endorsement,” he says. “For us, it’s about creating content that feels human but is something you’d actually enjoy watching, not just scroll past.”

What struck him most on set was how much energy came from real reactions, not polished performance. “In a landscape crowded with overproduced ads, a small, honest moment – a laugh, a stumble, a natural beat – can break through in a way big names can’t always deliver,” he concludes. “It’s not about being louder; it’s about being more real.”