Advertising agency studio Humanaut is launching “Happiness is a Gut Feeling,” the latest round of ads for client Garden of Life’s Dr. Formulated Probiotics. The brand’s objectives are to become the No. 1 probiotic brand in FDM and Natural channels and to increase awareness and sales of its other probiotic SKUs, including Gas and Bloating, Feminine pH, and Mood. 

Garden of Life had the audacity to say out loud that women “poop” in its 2021 campaign for the Dr. Formulated Women’s Once Daily Probiotic (AKA #Poopowerment) by Humanaut and gained a reputation for being honest and direct about issues other brands dance around. That creative has been overwhelmingly effective: The probiotic is the No. 1 selling SKU in FDM Retail and the brand’s awareness level is at 57%, an all-time high. The premium brand is part of the Nestle Health Science portfolio.

It was time for an encore to the breakthrough work, so Garden of Life is now extending its message by showing the world that pooping is good for people—and that it makes them feel good.

“Lookin’ good, Janet!” a woman says to a friend who power-walks by in one spot. “Thanks—I just pooped!” the friend claps back. Garden of Life probiotics are formulated with billions of live cultures to encourage regularity for an inside-out happiness, a narrator adds. They are also organic and contain no synthetic ingredients, binders, fillers, or artificial flavors or colorings.  

The situations are intended to spark the idea that when someone has a bigger-than-usual smile on their face or a little extra pep in their step, it might not be because they got that big promotion or met someone new.

“Our gut health is one of the key factors in our overall health as well as promoting regularity,” said Bethany Maxfield, Creative Director. “And it turns out, when you’re regular—like really regular—and your body is working better, you feel better! And when you’re feeling better, you’re more likely to experience this amazing feeling called happiness. If it sounds like we’re saying that you can poop your way to happiness… that’s exactly what we’re saying.”

The campaign’s video (:30, :15, :06), radio, and static ad components will run from mid-July to at least June 2025, if not longer, on Amazon, Roku, Video Amp CTV Pre Roll, Social (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok), and YouTube. There are multiple versions of each ad with different end cards as well as one censored version for platforms that refuse to run the original ad.

“Education is the fundamental objective of our brand,” said Joe Garbarczyk, Director of Brand Marketing – Specialty Supplements, Nestle Health Science. “But in order to make people pay attention in what is otherwise a very boring category, we know several things have to be true: Make it simple, make it memorable, and make it actionable.” 

Humanaut has been working with Garden of Life since 2021 and won this business in May 2023.

Client: Garden of Life

Agency: Humanaut

Chief Creative Director: David Littlejohn

VP Creative: Dan Jacobs 

Executive Creative Director: Bethany Maxfield

Creative Director: Alex Behles 

Strategist: Sydney Tomasello

Art Director: Mike Ellis

Copywriter: Liza Behles, Chris Baker, Nathan Dills, Sam Friedman

Designer: Boris Frantz, Mark Slawson

Senior Brand Producer: Caty Hicks 

Junior Project Producer: Brooke Frazzetto 

Senior Project Producer: Jes Shipley

Agency Producer: Dani Harrison

Creative Coordinator: Tarrisha Hicks

Production Company: Humanaut

Executive Producer: Tommy Wilson

Producer: Rachel Bohanon

Director: Alex Behles, Liza Behles

Director of Photography: Jasmin Kuhn

Assistant Director: Erin Hillburn

Associate Producer: Ashley Matthews 

Production Coordinator: Luke Chandler

Art Director: Paul Merchant

Post Production Supervisor: Kyler Potter

Editor: Davy Granberry

Assistant Editor: Jacob Dunn

Color: Annie Huntington

Audio Mix: Danny Cooper