Jamie Oliver 'Finds Himself' in Life360 Microdrama Comedy Series
Family connection and safety app Life360 has launched its new year- long partnership with Jamie Oliver via a microdrama comedy series created and produced by Baby Teeth, the creative company appointed earlier this year as creative and strategic partner to the Jamie Oliver Group. The series is the first work to launch from that partnership and marks Oliver's move into one of the many new formats and IP developments teased earlier this year.
The comedy series, Finding Jamie While He's Finding Himself, was directed by Tom Kingsley (Stath Lets Flats, Ghosts, Alice and Steve) and will play out in short episodes across social media. The series starts with the iconic British chef finding himself ‘lost’ in an existential rather than a literal sense. Convinced the world must finally have run out of ways to cook chicken, Jamie’s fictional mid-life crisis sees him abandon the kitchen to 'find himself,' spiralling through a series of wellness and spiritual trends–regression hypnosis, a naked woodland cult, floatation tanks–with knowing nods to his 1999 Naked Chef debut and his campaign against Turkey Twizzlers peppered throughout the episodes.
While Jamie heads off on his quest for enlightenment, his real family - Jools and the kids - follow his every move on Life360, keeping a close eye on his location so they’re on hand if things go sideways. The series also features comedian Will Hislop as Jamie’s ambitious yet inept Life Coach.
The authentic partnership and the series are rooted in the Oliver family's long term relationship with the app. Jamie, his wife Jools and their five children - Poppy, 24, Daisy, 23, Petal, 17, Buddy, 15, and River nine - have used Life360 for over a decade to manage the logistics of a large household.
When his eldest daughter Poppy went backpacking around Australia, the family used the app to stay connected across time zones, and the family dog Conker wears a Life360 Pet GPS tracker. That authenticity is central to the campaign's construction, with the Oliver family also appearing in the work.
Jamie Oliver has been at the forefront of food and entertainment since The Naked Chef, and the series is the latest chapter in a career built on new formats, from The Naked Chef, through to 20 Minute Meals and even being one of the first to YouTube with the creation of his channel FoodTube back in 2012. What has changed is the landscape: audiences discover and consume entertainment in entirely new places, and with formats that didn’t even exist 10 years ago. Baby Teeth has been tasked with pushing Jamie's creativity in a new direction, building for where audiences live now and showing Jamie as he’s never been seen before. The work also reflects the partnership approach Baby Teeth was appointed to lead, brand collaborations that go beyond endorsement, designed to be genuinely additive for the talent, the brand and the audience.
Mike Zeman, chief marketing officer at Life360, said, “At Life360, we believe in the power of connection and the peace of mind it brings. That's why we're absolutely delighted to welcome Jamie Oliver to the Life360 family. When it comes to busy family life, doing right by your kids, and having fun along the way, Jamie is the perfect, authentic fit for our brand. The fact that he was already a dedicated paying Gold member speaks volumes about how essential Life360 is to modern parenting. This partnership with Jamie is about empowering families to embrace the chaos of daily life with the confidence that comes from staying effortlessly connected.”
Alison Corfield, brand director, Jamie Oliver said, "Life360 has been part of Jamie's family life (and mine) for years, so this partnership couldn't be more authentic. Every family has those little moments of drama – 'Where are you?', 'Who's picking up?' and 'How far away are you?' This campaign captures that perfectly: it's a microdrama that celebrates the app helping take the microdrama out of everyday family life. It's exactly the kind of creative partnership we're always looking for”.
Lynsey Atkin, founder and partner, Baby Teeth said, “What was great about this brief was that Jamie and his family already use Life360 to find each other. So there really was only one thing left to find: Jamie himself. With tongues firmly in cheeks, we set about creating a mid life crisis, a long suffering family and a Life Coach whose Instagram qualifications are showing. We are delighted that Jamie’s natural comedy talents and self-depricating nature are showcased to their fullest in what is a totally new vehicle for one of Britain’s best loved personalities. To do that in partnership with the brilliant brand brains at Life360 has been truly excellent fun.”
Ant Hopper, founder of The Ninety-Niners, said, “We’re incredibly excited to help launch this campaign and introduce the brand to even more families around the world. It’s such fun and entertaining content, and we’re proud to be bringing it to life through a strategy built for international reach and impact. MFM has brought unrivalled expertise in helping us navigate local markets and ensure the campaign lands effectively with our key audiences.”
Media strategy, planning and buying was led by independent agency The Ninety-Niners, who using its international media partner MFM, are delivering the work across the UK, Canada and Australia.
