The bros are still in danger, so Chattanooga's Humanaut and Fancy Rhino are back at it with a new video

courtesy of Organic Valley. Cutline: "A scene, shot at Sunset Rock, from the video advertisement that Humanaut and Fancy Rhino, based in Chattanooga, created for Organic Valley's Organic Fuel product. The online advertisement, which gained national attention, released last week."
courtesy of Organic Valley. Cutline: "A scene, shot at Sunset Rock, from the video advertisement that Humanaut and Fancy Rhino, based in Chattanooga, created for Organic Valley's Organic Fuel product. The online advertisement, which gained national attention, released last week."

Find out more

* Organic Valley web site, www.organicvalley.com, and the Save the Bros movement, visit www.savethebros.com. * Humanaut and Fancyrhino web sites are www.humanaut.is and fancyrhino.com

Apparently the brawny, bellicose bros are still hung up on protein and post-workout products packed with five-syllable ingredients that present serious harm to the human body - even the ridiculously fit ones barely hiding beneath too-tiny pink tank-tops and American flag Chubbies shorts.

This is the follow-up message that Chattanooga's Humanaut and Fancy Rhino firms throw out in the recently-released video successor to the earlier "Save the Bros" fake public service announcement that hit the Internet and turned heads earlier this year.

That video, a marketing tool for Organic Valley and its Organic Fuel milk protein shakes, purported that the country's weight-lifting, self-adoring gym lunks were fueling up with toxic protein shakes, and offered instead a better, healthier alternative.

This time around, Organic Valley is back with a message that the good work of proselytizing the bros isn't finished.

The newer video also pokes more fun, asserting that America's bros can't take constructive criticism and genuine, benevolent concern about what junk fuel they pour into their bodies, so Organic Valley has set up a hotline of sorts where concerned cousins and grandmothers can have someone else do the job for them.

Hence, the anonymous Twitter "Brononymous Hotline" has been launched, a safe place where fearful friends and family can nominate the bro in their life for a gentle, anonymous prod to buy Organic Valley protein products and ditch the toxic stuff.

Once again, the ad is turning heads in the marketing and ad industry.

Earlier this week, experts with Ad Agency's Creativity featured the "Brononymous Hotline" video as their pick of the day and featured it on their website.

David Littlejohn, founder and chief creative director at Humanaut, a Chattanooga creative consulting company, said Friday that the recognition is great for his firm and the production team at Fancy Rhino, also based in Chattanooga.

"It really brings a lot more attention to our work and what we're doing," he said.

Humanaut was approached by other national brands after the first "Save the Bros" video premiered. The format gets away from traditional marketing approaches, but that's not a bad thing, said Littlejohn.

In fact, companies who come in with limited marketing budgets, big ambitions and minds open to outside-the-box ideas make great clients.

"With this sort of thing," said Littlejohn, "all you can do is say, 'Let's make something that we want people to notice and to share.'"

For Organic Valley, the success of the first video brought them back to Humanaut for a second round of bro-vertising.

"We've helped save millions of bros, allowing them to continue making meaningful contributions to society, such as fist bumps, flexing selfies and sleeveless fashions," says the straight-faced, Organic Valley spokeswoman in the "Brononymous Hotline" video.

Littlejohn, meanwhile, said Chattanoogans can expect to see a few more high-profile campaigns orchestrated by Humanaut in the coming year. And he said the firm is also always on the lookout for local talent to add to the team.

Contact staff writer Alex Green at agreen@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6480.

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