PETA exposes carnage behind the Chrissy cheer in ‘Happy Christmassacre’ work via Grey London
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Grey London has partnered with PETA on a provocative new Christmas campaign titled ‘Happy Christmassacre’, designed to spotlight the brutality that sits behind the season’s celebrations and to encourage people to go vegan over the holidays.
Running across cinema, social and OOH, the campaign urges audiences to rethink long-held traditions and consider more compassionate choices at a time typically associated with joy, generosity and festive indulgence. Despite the cheerful imagery of the season, millions of animals are killed each December to fill Christmas plates, a contrast the work aims to bring sharply into focus.
The campaign centres on a bold creative twist: taking the cosy, familiar tropes of a classic Christmas and subverting them to reveal what’s usually kept out of sight. Its hero film, a darkly comic two-minute spot directed by Emmy and Cannes Lions–winning filmmaker David Shane of O Positive, begins as a wholesome family dinner before morphing into a horror-tinged portrayal of the violence behind the traditional feast.
Says PETA vice president for the UK and Europe Mimi Bekhechi: “Christmas is meant to be a season of goodwill to all, yet for millions of animals, it’s anything but. PETA’s goal is to challenge perceptions, and the talented team at Grey London has done just that with this darkly humorous film, which highlights how easily people can overlook the suffering behind their Christmas lunch.
“We hope this thought-provoking spot will inspire viewers to extend the spirit of kindness to everyone this festive season by leaving animals off their plates.”
Says Helen Rhodes, chief creative officer, Grey London: “Nothing says Christmas like carving up the corpse of a once-sentient being in front of your nearest and dearest. This year, we wanted to shine a light on that dark festive tradition, to expose the quiet, normalised savagery that plays out at millions of dinner tables across the country.
“We hope our message resonates so that this Christmas, more people choose compassion over cruelty – and that nut roast sales go through the roof.”
Creative Agency: Grey London
Chief Creative Officer: Helen Rhodes
Chief Strategic Officer: Tarek Sioufi
Managing Director: Jonny Tennant-Price
Head of Creative Operations: James McNichol
Creative Director: Sam Haynes
Creative Director: John Gibson
Head of Production: Maxine Hose
Senior Producer: Lizzie Mabbott
Junior Producer: Alicia Cordell
Group Business Director: Tamsine Foggin
Account Director: Hugo Soer
Design Director: Sarah Burns
Motion Designer: Tyrone Zall
Artworker: Nigel Miller
Junior Strategist: Serena Coyle
Senior Production Affairs Manager: Melissa Beeson
Senior Production Affairs Manager: Sarah Scarlett
Senior Project Manager: Anisha Chandarana
AV Production: O Positive
Director: David Shane
Producer: Nell Jordan
EP: Nell Jordan / Ralph Laucella / Marc Grill
DP: Chris Sabogal
Prod Designer: Kem White
PM: Polly Leach
Casting: Michael Cox @ Hammond Cox
Editor: Gavin Cutler @ Mack Cut
Edit Assistant: Louisa Phillips @ Mack Cut
Music: APM Music
Sound: Jonny Platt @ Runamok
Cinema Mix: Mike Bovill @ 750mph
Post Production
VFX Studio: Untold Studios
EP: Ian Berry
Snr Producer: Elle Lockhart
Production Assistant: Alisa Hussain
VFX Supervisor: Alex Grey
VFX Lead: Andrew Curtis
VFX Artist: Sam Curtis
Online: Andrew Curtis
Colour: Untold Studios
Colourist: Julien Alary
Colour Producer: Eli Sandal
Production – OOH
Photographer / Director: James Day
Producer: Siobhan Squire
Model Maker: Ben Millar
Stills Post Production: Dennis Tuffnell
Moving Post Production: Digital Light
Build Hollywood: Media
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