AVG, "Tiger vs. 3.5 Million Toothpicks"

AVG: Tiger vs. 3.5 Million Toothpicks ("We Protect Us")

Client: AVG Security Software

Agency Partner: The Richards Group

Role: Concept Development, On-Screen Spokesperson & Narrative Strategy

From early concepting at a pub about a crazy idea to actually being cast as the spokesperson inside a cage—looking directly into the eyes of a 600lb tiger less than 10 inches from my face—this project was easily one of the most amazing experiences of my career.

Digital security threats are abstract, invisible, and notoriously hard for people to understand. AVG’s product strength lies in networked security—strength in numbers. To make that tangible, we asked a simple, visceral question: "How many toothpicks does it take to stop a tiger?"

In a world saturated with polished digital content and paid influencers, the key lesson here was simple: don't be afraid to try a crazy idea, have fun, and be completely real about it. We gave people a story they could be moved by, and then let those who were curious look behind the curtain at how it all came together.

"I JUST WATCHED A 3MIN COMMERCIAL. AND LOVED IT!" — Fan reaction to the spot

By all measures, the video was a massive success, vastly outperforming client goals and shattering brand awareness targets:

4.8 Million Video Views & 3,500+ likes (with hundreds of organic, highly engaged comments).

+50% Brand & Product Awareness Lift (Client goal: 3% — exceeded target by 16.6x).

+20% Unaided Brand & Product Awareness Lift (Client goal: 10% — 2x target).

The biggest lesson from this campaign points to a broader challenge brands face with digital content. While this video was an enormous success, it was the only one we produced in what was meant to be an extensible creative franchise.

Brands need more courage to double down on great ideas. The underlying architecture—"How many [X] does it take to stop a [Y]?"—was built to scale into an entire series: Rhino vs. Legos, Sharks vs. Grains of Sand, Gatorade Cups vs. Troy Polamalu, Inches of Stick Tape vs. Mike Modano.

Bringing abstract threats to life through relatable, human-scale examples works. We just need to give those stories room to keep running.

(If you want to hear more of the wild behind-the-scenes stories from inside the cage, let's meet for a Singha or a Tiger beer.)