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Swarms of termites—those never-sleeping, constantly-gnawing creepy crawlies—cause $5 billion in damage to American properties each year, per bug experts.
And what the tiny pests leave behind is destruction, no doubt, but on closer look it’s also…beautiful?
Orkin, in its latest category-defying work, launches a new campaign called “Chewed Art” that turns images of termite damage into glossy photos fit for the walls of an upscale gallery.
The limited-edition prints are not for sale, though. They will be doled out to the first 500 consumers who schedule and receive a free termite inspection from the company within the next five weeks.
The work, from agency of record DDB Chicago, aims to hit on multiple cylinders for the legacy brand: breaking out of traditional media and into the experiential and swag realms; serving as an educational vehicle and a conversion tool; and stopping people in their tracks.
Creatives, as part of their ongoing brainstorms, embedded themselves with Orkin’s in-house entomologists, looking for palatable ways to translate their knowledge into marketing programs, according to Amy Gozalka, group creative director of DDB Chicago.
“These experts shared their crazy, weird pictures of termite damage with us, and we said, ‘that kind of looks like art,’” Gozalka told ADWEEK. “It’s like having entomologists as part of the creative and writing teams—then it was just a matter of finding the right photography.”
The behavior of the target audience of young first-time homeowners was also a key component that led to “Chewed Art.”
“They’re decorating and painting and personalizing their living spaces, so we’re incentivizing them with cool art,” Gozalka said. “We grounded the work in insights.”
Pesky and painterly
The oversized pieces in “Chewed Art” are meant to stand on their own, aesthetically, but also serve as a cautionary tale to show homeowners “the potential warning signs of costly damage if left unprotected,” per Cam Glover, Orkin’s vice president of marketing.
Termite trivia: the blind creatures, often mistaken for ants but related to cockroaches, attack about 600,000 homes a year in the U.S., and most insurance policies don’t cover the damage.
To launch “Chewed Art,” creatives produced a cheeky 30-second video that gives a close-up view of the posters without initially letting on that the “makers” are insects. And mimicking a promo for a museum exhibit or high-stakes auction, the ad’s narration calls out pieces named “Undulate” and “Symphony of Decay.”
Bonus points for the classical music soundtrack and British voice over, which extend the ruse and set up the kicker: “This series is valued at tens of thousands of dollars…in termite damage.”
“Chewed Art” will run through October via online video, a dedicated landing page on Orkin’s website, and social content across TikTok, Meta, and Reddit.
The campaign follows a standout 2024 effort from the brand and agency that also dipped into artistic territory, with arthropods at the center.
The collaborators developed “The Cicada Symphony Orkinstra,” turning a rare cicada emergence last summer into a live musical performance. The 45-minute concert got a livestream on Orkin’s TikTok channel, with a full-length album drop on Spotify. (Moral of that story: bugs can be harmless, and melodic).
“Chewed Art” is another example of Orkin’s interest in tactics and creative that strays from the traditional pest-control category norm, Gozalka said: “They’ve embraced and committed to the idea that you can show your expertise through elevated content.”
