The Hard Way

In a world where everything needs to be made faster and cheaper than the day before, it’s more tempting than ever to take shortcuts. But as a proudly purpose-led brand, Greenfield Natural* Meat Co.® has been making meat right, without shortcuts, since the beginning. That means animals raised without the use of antibiotics. Or gestation crates. And a 100% carbon-neutral commitment to sustainability. It’s the hard way. But it’s the right way.

This is the promise at the heart of their latest campaign The Hard Way, launching at a time when it’s never been easier to take shortcuts with visual storytelling either. As AI continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible, Greenfield Natural* Meat Co. pushed in the opposite direction, turning the production concept of the campaign into a metaphor for its own approach to farming.

The Hard Way was shot with no shortcuts on location outside of Montréal, Canada, in a single take, at golden hour, with all music and sound captured live in camera. Even the ‘supers’ were hand-painted on wooden boards. Thomas Soto of Les Enfants, an award-winning young filmmaker already recognized by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, handled direction. From the very beginning, the team prioritized authenticity over perfection. They would not rely on any production shortcuts. No fixing things in post. No hidden cuts. Just hard work. And lots of rehearsal.

The campaign was the brand’s third U.S. campaign created in collaboration with agency No Fixed Address. Original music was composed and supervised on set by Supersavant. In addition to the hero film, two single-take 15s films were shot for social using hand-painted signs in place of digital supers. Hand-painted murals help to complete the hard way story in OOH, with social and digital assets to support the launch. The Influencer Agency handled influencer content, working with content creators who also do things the hard way. The campaign is slated to run across the U.S. with all paid media handled by Fuse Media.

D’Arcy Finley, Vice President of Brands at Maple Leaf Foods, says, “Greenfield’s promise from the very beginning has been about making meat right and that means not taking shortcuts in anything we do. Including our advertising. Shooting this campaign the hard way was the perfect way to express that core mission.”

Stuart Macmillan, Executive Creative Director at No Fixed Address: “At a time when AI is redefining what’s possible every day, it was inspiring to see what we could achieve through old-school craftsmanship. No musicians were harmed in the making of this film.”