Lite N’ Easy Brings Laughter Back to Lunchtime With ‘Just Good Food N’ Great Results’

In a world where lunch breaks are precious moments of respite, Lite n' Easy returns with a sequel to their beloved "Just good food n' great results" campaign.

In their latest spot with Lite n’ Easy, Hardhat expands on the laughter-filled world of Lite n' Easy, and continues to resonate with audiences.

A creative force behind these humorous workplace scenarios, Hardhat creative director Jonathan Heath sheds light on the inspiration, character development, and striking the perfect balance between simplicity and conveying their message effectively.

Nat Taylor, executive producer at Poppet, also takes us through the nitty gritty of creating the campaign.

LBB> The "Just good food n' great results" campaign by Lite n' Easy is back with a new series. Can you share the inspiration behind revisiting this campaign and its unique concept?

Jonathan> Lite n’ Easy gave us an amazing opportunity to revisit our characters from the first campaign but with a slight twist. The first films tackled the issues of fad diets, whereas now we are focusing on the ease and convenience of Lite n’ Easy. The office is the ideal venue for this, considering in terms of time, lunch breaks are often at a premium.

LBB> In the campaign, you portray relatable workplace scenarios where colleagues struggle with food choices. How did you develop these scenarios to resonate with your audience and convey the message effectively?

Jonathan> We worked out a simple, engaging formula from the first set revolving around our three characters. One character would always be enjoying Lite n’ Easy, and another would be choking down something inoffensive and/or bland. In the tradition of the comedy rule of three - the third would be eating something more exaggerated and outlandish. We wanted to portray the sense they were on a journey together as office mates. Lunchtime was their time to catch up and talk about how they were going with their healthy eating goals. This felt very relatable to the conversations our audience would have when they joined Lite n’ Easy.

LBB> Lite n' Easy emphasises its 37 years of experience in providing healthy meals. How did you ensure that the campaign reflects this wealth of experience while maintaining simplicity?

Jonathan> It all came down to the line ‘Just good food n’ great results’. We wanted to lean into their experience with a quiet, self-assured confidence. Lite n' Easy’s offering is simple and has stood the test of time. Fad diets, takeaway technology and recipes that overpromise on ease and speed will come and go, but Lite n’ Easy remains true.

LBB> The campaign highlights the contrast between traditional, time-consuming meal options and Lite n' Easy's convenient, nutritious meals. How did you strike a balance in conveying this message without overwhelming the audience?

Jonathan> We took the opportunity to play it fairly simple and straight. Luckily, we have brand recognition on our side – so there’s an existing understanding of what Lite n’ Easy is. We showed a different delicious-looking dish in every spot but didn’t hit the audience too hard.

LBB> The characters in the campaign have become beloved figures. Could you tell us more about how you developed these characters and why they resonate so well with viewers?

Jonathan> The chemistry between the cast was a critical element. With Julian Lucas’ expert direction and the Poppet team on set, the actors got into a brilliant deadpan comedic groove, which lifted the spots and made them feel more real and relatable. It was also important for the ads to feel inherently positive. It’s one of the reasons why we shared the load between the characters of Beth and Tim, becoming the butt of the joke.

Nat> The great minds at Hardhat cracked some sort of code with these scripts. With the help of Ellie and Ally at Northside Casting and our talented Director Julian Lucas, we were able to find our three hero talent who each took so naturally to these roles. Therese Mavros (Beth), Ross Dwyer (Tim) and Kathryn Tohill (Jen) all poured their talent and personality into these characters. We seemed to get it right the first time, and by the second run - there was a great feeling on set because the client, crew and talent were all confident in each other's ability to pull off another successful round. The talent were given the space to ad lib, and there were moments on set where you could feel the crew holding their breath until Julian called cut, so we could all laugh with the talent. These characters seem to resonate with viewers because they feel so authentic. They were written, acted, and shot with such care because we all felt so fondly for them.

LBB> Sequels are often a challenge in maintaining the originality and impact of a campaign. How did you approach creating a sequel that builds upon the success of the original series?

Jonathan> We kept the formula very similar for this set as we didn’t want to break the great dynamic that we built up. However, we had a different enemy this time, which meant we could have a whole load more fun with a bunch of different foodstuffs.

LBB> The campaign captures the lunchtime dilemma faced by many office workers. How did you infuse humour and relatability into these situations to engage the audience effectively?

Jonathan> Escalation and exaggeration. We were given a fantastic opportunity in the first films to make some utterly ridiculous jokes, and we jumped at the chance again, given another incredibly relatable situation. It came down to time-wasting.

There tends to be a sense of jeopardy with the office lunch break. The clock moves quicker, and the meetings move ever closer, so it was really about thinking up the most ridiculous and attention-grabbing ways our characters could waste their lunch break when they could have just enjoyed a delicious bite like their friend Jen. 

LBB> What were the biggest challenges of making this spot? How were they overcome?

Nat> We scouted through a few different locations across Melbourne before finding an office that fitted the brief just right. It was a challenge to find a space that lent itself to the narrative that was also within budget, accessible, and all the other important factors we consider when location scouting. The office space we shot in was a metering company. We had our lovely crew manually move thousands of meters off set one by one so that the Art Department could get in and do their thing. And then, we put them all back. It was well worth it, though. 

LBB> There is a distinct 'flavour' to the Lite n Easy campaigns. Is it fair to call this the 'Poppet touch', and if so, could you tell us a bit about what that distinction might be?

Nat> We're really lucky to work with a range of fantastic people at Poppet. We get to engage a team of talented crew with whom we have built strong, trusting relationships over many years in the business, making it easy to find the perfect team to suit the exact needs of the client. For this campaign, we worked very closely with the great minds Hincey and Jono at Hardhat, as well as our cheeky director, Julian Lucas.

These scripts lent themselves so well to Julian's skills in the comedy space. Comedy scripts are great fun to play with, and we get to work with other directors like Jesse Richards and Josh Logue, who also specialise in this space. We aim to cultivate a positive feeling on set where client, cast and crew have a platform to collaborate and create to their heart's content. All the great people we have the privilege to work with makeup Poppet's Positive Production People.