Tasty Tom 'The Secret'.

Prime Focus has recently completed a TVC for a major African brand - 'Tasty Tom'. A popular tomato puree brand, Tasty Tom required Prime Focus to create a brand mascot – The Tasty Tom Man. The creative agency at work on the concept was R K Swamy BBDO along with production company Trends Ad Film.

This ad shows a typical African home and family. The mother is cooking in the kitchen while her daughter’s birthday party is going on in the living room outside. The mother is upset to discover that her tomato sauce hasn’t turned out well and time is running out. Luckily, Tasty Tom man comes to her rescue with Tasty Tom tomato paste, and her culinary expression comes to life.

Trend ad films have worked with Prime Focus in the past, and were keen to do so once again as they did not want to take any risks on this high profile international campaign, scheduled to run across the African continent.

Working under budget and time constraints, Prime Focus generated the mascot’s face in 3D, while auditioning for a person whose body would fit the agency’s creative concept of the dwarf-like Tasty Tom man.

Delivered within a span of only 18 days by a creative team of six people, made up of three 3D artists and three compositors, the team was led by Raj Tambaku, who was quick to acknowledge that such international projects are challenging in a number of ways.

"Budget and time constraints are a factor in many projects these days," said Raj Tambaku. "However, with international projects come challenges like language barriers and different work standards. In India people are well trained and have technical knowledge and understanding of everything ranging from the camera lens to sound and light."