The new HFSS ad guidelines will cramp the style of advertisers but the strictures may also present opportunities to flex the creative muscle
Until the final couple of seconds, Cadbury’s iconic 2007 advert ‘Gorilla’ – frequently voted the nation’s favourite ad of all time and considered a masterpiece within marketing circles – is fully HFSS regulation-compliant. The restrictions didn’t exist at the time it aired, though the legislative seeds had been sown, with Ofcom introducing restrictions on HFSS ads during programmes aimed at under-16s. They’ve evolved since into a blanket ban on advertising “identifiable” HFSS foods online and on TV before 9pm, which comes into full force in January.
Up to the moment a bar of Dairy Milk is shown at the very end of ‘Gorilla’, nothing in Cadbury’s ad is in breach of the rules – official guidance on which was finally published last week. The ad would surely be just as effective if the closing chocolate bar image had been swapped out for the Cadbury logo (perfectly permissible under the new rules).
And despite the protestations – and lobbying – of big brands and the advertising industry over the HFSS regs, creatives are far from reeling at the thought of having their hands tied by restrictions. Rather, they’re enthused by the challenge – and the chance to create a beast bigger than ‘Gorilla’.
“For an industry that fetishises iconic brand building campaigns of the past – the Smash Martians, Guinness’ Surfer, Hovis’ Boy on the Bike – now’s the time to stop the passive worship, put our money where our mouth is and take this chance to build brands like that again,” says Josh Tilley, brand strategy director at agency Initials CX, which works with the likes of PepsiCo and Pilgrim’s Europe.
But it will be a workout. And some will have to sweat more to cut through.
Food and drink advertising can make consumers salivate in front of their screens. That’s a powerful prompt to purchase, but some brands have become over-reliant on it, argues Jon Gibbs, managing director at creative agency Derek&Eric, which works with Lindt, Innocent and Fox’s. “The HFSS regulations are a long-overdue wake-up call for fmcg advertising. They won’t kill creativity, they’ll kill lazy creativity,” he says. “For years, brands have relied on slow-mo food porn and pack hero shots to do the heavy lifting. Now, the industry must actually build ideas and not rely on hunger cues.”
Lorna Hawtin, chief strategy officer at Zeal, which has worked with Cheez-It, Nuii and Kit Kat, agrees the new rules “strip away the safety net of product porn, forcing brands to think harder about what they stand for and how they show up in the world at a brand level”.
With food porn and packshots out, the HFSS regs can be seen as a “reset”, says Richard Exon, founder of creative agency Joint: “It pushes brands to rediscover the fundamentals of great advertising: storytelling; emotional connection; and distinctive brand behaviour.”
That’s harder to execute than simply making a product look desirable. “You need a memorable concept that’s based on a truism about your brand,” says Trevor Robinson, founder of Quiet Storm and the creative mind behind Haribo’s talking kids ads. “People won’t buy into a half-baked idea that seems disconnected from what the brand stands for.”
Advantage established brands
At first glance, the new rules advantage established brands that have worked for decades to spring to mind at the appearance of a certain colour, font or sound.
Josh Clarricoats, co-founder at Insiders, which has worked with Tim Tams and Little Dish, points out that “McDonald’s can show a pair of golden arches and create demand”, while “most challenger brands don’t have that luxury. When you’re still building awareness and have a tiny arsenal of recognisable assets, losing even one of them can feel like losing a limb. So, yeah, HFSS makes the job harder.”
The trick to success, post HFSS, will be to “outthink when you can’t outspend”, he adds. “Treat constraints as a brief for creativity, not a barrier to it.”
Challenger brands, says Hawtin, “still have licence to surprise and can leverage our human thirst for novelty and desire to try something new or intriguing”.
In time, HFSS rules could be seen as “a gift” to smaller brands, says Sam Williams, head of strategy at AMV BBDO, which works with Walkers and Diageo.
“It levels the field by neutralising the one area where big brands could always outspend everyone: appetite appeal. When no one can rely on an unctuous ooze or perfect drip, the advantage moves to whoever has the strongest idea, not the deepest pockets,” he says.
Unhealthy food isn’t the first product to be hit with restrictions. Far more vigorous limitations were applied to cigarettes. And the result? “The ads that came out after the laws changed around tobacco marketing were often exceptionally imaginative,” recalls Robinson.
Take Saatchi & Saatchi’s 1990s billboards for Silk Cut, the most famous of which featured a literal cut through some purple silk. Or the ‘Gold’ campaign for Benson & Hedges in the 1980s. Cigarette ads had been banned on TV by then, but not outright. The tobacco giants were working in the regulatory gaps to great effect.
Talking of billboards, OOH is notably not covered at all by the incoming restrictions. The CAP Code prevents HFSS ads being directed at under-16s or appearing in media where more than 25% of the audience is under 16, but the general consensus among outdoor media owners – reasonably or not – is that it actually means within 100m of a school.
Advertisers are already swinging spend towards the channel. Food brand spending on OOH advertising increased by 28% in the wake of the initial HFSS ad ban announcement in 2020, according to analysis by the Food Foundation.
As well as OOH, retail media and podcasts are not thought to be covered by the legislation, but it was always the relative unknown that was the biggest issue for creatives. Now, with the guidance finally released, they can get on with following the rules – which, says Robinson, is preferable to an open brief, because they provide “a kind of pressure that can force you to push the creative boundaries”.
As Exon puts it: “When you can’t rely on slow-motion cheese pulls or glossy pack shots, you’re forced to compete on something far more powerful: ideas.”
Alcohol: Still Wine | Yellow Tail
The Aussie wine brand has matured its message since relying on a stuffed kangaroo mascot a few years back. It’s now about celebrating quirky folk who do their own thing without caring about what others think. Like swinging in the rain with their pet dog, disco roller skating in the park or ballroom dancing by the duck pond.
Of course, perhaps they’re completely plastered. But these eccentrics each get a well-deserved ‘Good On Ya’ from passers-by and branded bottle-carrying Antipodeans who happen to be in the area at the time.
It’s a tough old time for the wine category, but the brand hopes its campaign – the first by agency Isobel, which it appointed last year – will “deepen our connection with existing fans while also helping to bring new consumers to the brand”. Good luck.
Alcohol: Spirits & Liquor | Malibu
Probably best known for his roles as ruthless, hard-nut workaholics, actor Brian Cox shows his sunnier side as a CEO who clocks off at 5pm to rollerskate the promenade and slurp a cocktail on the beach. It’s reminiscent of a 2020 viral video that saw skater Nathan Apodaca cruise along to Fleetwood Mac sipping on Ocean Spray.
“In a world that rarely stops, we’re reminding everyone to slow down and prioritise joy,” says Craig van Niekerk, Malibu VP marketing.
Alcohol: Lager | Stella Artois
Stella’s campaign shows David Beckham being informed by his parents he has a secret long-lost twin brother. Beckham tracks him down, and who should answer the door but Matt Damon – or ‘Dave Beckham’.
The pair bond over buffalo wings, with their fraternal connection confirmed by their mutual love of Stella – and Dave’s powerful football punt.
Follow-up ads – all directed by Ben Affleck, no less – tell of their blossoming relationship and bond through beer.
Alcohol: Cider | Thatcher’s
The brand’s long-running creative partner Aardman Studios is best known for Wallace & Gromit, and resulting ads have been in a similar, stop-motion vein. Until this year. “We took the Juicy Apple cider colour palette and flat-graphic look to visualise a sun-soaked world where the pints are always perfect,” says director Dan Binns.
The result – which highlights Thatcher’s sustainable production process – is blisteringly vibrant. Less ‘cracking’ and more crackling.
Alcohol: Ale & Stout | Guinness
After its debut as a Premier League sponsor last season, Guinness’ TV campaign this year captured the “intimate, often quirky, and always passionate moments” of fans – rituals like a freezing sea dip or game of dominos, rather than scenes from the stands.
The brand is hoping to become a more intrinsic part of matchday, this year penning partnerships with Arsenal, Aston Villa and Newcastle United to serve its drinks at stadia during games.
Bread | Hovis
For brands of Hovis’ ubiquity and age – almost 140 years – there’s a risk of blending into the background. In the bread brand’s first masterbrand campaign since 2008 – ‘Strength Baked In’ – it hopes to avoid this, by cleverly playing into it.
It features the faded, hand-painted Hovis advertisements – ‘ghost signs’ – that adorn walls across the country: long present but rarely noticed any more. Here, though, instead of a (literal) sign of faded glory, they become a symbol of endurance and the “strength in all of us”. The swelling brass soundtrack, meanwhile, gives a huge nod to Dvorák’s Symphony No. 9 and Hovis ads past.
Kingsmill owner ABF confirmed plans to buy Hovis this year, amid declining sales of sliced bread. Can this campaign help bring it back to life, or is it truly toast?
Cakes | Jaffa Cakes
Is this campaign in the right category? It’s foolish to even question it, according to Jaffa Cakes’ marketing this year. It sought – with OOH ads featuring lots of arrows pointing to the definitive answer – to once and for all settle the debate around whether it’s a biscuit or cake.
“We said what we said. And now we’re saying it louder,” says Paul Jordan, executive creative director at agency TBWA\London. “We wanted to keep the tone fresh, fun and unmistakably Jaffa.”
Bottled Water | Deep River Rock
At the amateur bowling Irish Open, the pressure is on. As our protagonist steps up, a vision from the beyond: “What you need is right in front of ya,” the ghost of his grandad says. And there appears a bottle of Deep River Rock’s water.
A quick swig and… the bowling ball gets flung off course, knocking over an attendant on a ladder. The voiceover concedes the water “won’t make you better at bowling – will make you better at hydrating”. Surreal, slapstick and devilishly silly.
Baked Goods | Warburtons Crumpets
Olivia Colman is the latest big name to join the ‘Bolton Alumni’ – which includes Robert De Niro, George Clooney and Samuel L Jackson – by appearing in an ad for the bread brand. And it’s one of the best.
Colman barges into HQ to seize – and sample – the bakery’s crumpets. Jonathan Warburton – starring as himself – gets roundly ribbed by Colman’s bolshy character (“walk and talk, baker boy”), but he gets a jab in too: “She’s not as nice as everyone says.”
Bagged Snacks | KP
Say hello to the Woodland Clan – P-Nut the squirrel, B.A.D. the badger, and hedgehog The Hibernator – three rapping creatures assigned to introduce KP’s new roasted jumbo cashew nuts to an unsuspecting couple chilling on the couch.
Billy and Tash quickly get into the surprisingly good rap. The ad “perfectly captures the uplifting experience we want consumers to have when they try our new range”, says Rachel Horrell, senior brand manager at KP. Delightfully nuts.
Confectionery: Chocolate | Cadbury Dairy Milk
A daughter visits her father with dementia, handing him a bar of Dairy Milk Wholenut. The sweet gift sparks a memory – it’s the same bar she’d buy him every birthday since she was a little girl. Then comes an unexpected revelation in equal parts humorous and heartbreaking: he’s never liked nuts.
“But don’t tell her. It makes her so happy,” he says.
It’s the seventh, and easily most moving, ad in Dairy Milk’s long-running ‘There’s a Glass and a Half in Everyone’ series, which celebrates moments of generosity.
Beyond the ad, the brand made a £200k donation to Alzheimer’s Research UK, and also sent out thousands of what it calls ‘memory bars’ to people living with dementia, which revived the designs of old wrappers “to help spark memories and start conversation”.
Canned | Heinz Beanz
Even though they feature no brand, logo or pack, pre-testing of these Heinz Beanz billboards by the agency that created them (Wieden+Kennedy London) found more than 70% of consumers identified the brand instantly. A product close-up and a tagline – ‘It Has To Be Toast’ – referencing the ultimate pairing proves powerful enough without spelling it out.
It’s brand recognition most companies would die for. But if you’ve got it – which Heinz clearly does – why not use it?
Cereals | Kellogg’s
Kellogg’s 66-year-old cockerel mascot Cornelius was given a supersized makeover by Framestore, the animation studio behind the Paddington films, in the brand’s ‘See You in the Morning’ push this year.
A giant, city-stalking fowl set to another soundtrack could instil pure terror, but the use of Jurassic 5’s 1998 hip-hop track Jayou keeps things clucky. And a £12m UK marketing spend ensured Cornelius’ swaggering, new Godzilla-scale look passed few by.
Chilled ready meals | Charlie Bigham’s
Charlie Bigham’s 2024 advert, featuring the voice of Richard Osman and Charlie Bigham himself, was given a rerun this year, albeit in new places.
Having traditionally localised its TV ads to London and the south, the brand injected a further £1.7m to extend it into the north of England. The campaign, which tries to convince consumers of the corporeality of Bigham – “You couldn’t make him up… even though most people think we have” – ran across 275 radio stations in the UK.
Condiments | Heinz Ketchup
It’s been staring right at us in our chip-stuffed faces all along: the cardboard containers many fast food restaurants serve their fries in are exactly the same shape as the Heinz logo border.
Heinz egged the “remarkable revelation” in a campaign convincing consumers that fries should always be served alongside Heinz ketchup. “While we don’t know who designed the first french fry box, it’s certain they must have been a big Heinz fan,” says Nina Patel, global Heinz brand chief.
Confectionery: Chocolate Bar | Twix
There aren’t many better ways to guarantee something gets attention than banning it. The ASA duly obliged Mars Wrigley in June when it put the kibosh on this rather bonkers ad because it “condoned unsafe driving”.
The advert, part of Twix’s ‘Two is More Than One’ campaign, is heavily indebted to 1970s car chase movies and shows a model-esque man with long caramel-coloured locks involved in a high-speed car chase and subsequent crash. The payoff comes when his car (also caramel-coloured) lands on top of an identical vehicle, creating a Twix-like double that drives off into the distance.
“Twix has always been a brand about ‘two’, but we needed to find a fresh angle that allowed us to connect with our under-35 audiences,” says agency Adam&EveDDB.
Crisps | Walkers
Walkers dropped two stormers this year. First, it adapted its ‘No Walkers, No Game’ campaign for 2025 to tap into excitement around the Women’s Euros, with England stars Lauren James and Leah Williamson filmed hunting for a pub to watch football in.
This was followed by its Jheeze & Onion ad, where a group of lads pay homage to Budweiser’s famed ‘Whassup’ ad, exclaiming “cheeeeese” to one another over the phone when describing their crisps.
Cooking sauce | Dolmio
World Pasta Day might have passed most consumers by, but Dolmio’s saucy OOH campaign did its best to mark the day in consumers’ diaries. The ads ran across London and Manchester in conjunction with social activations, featuring pasta pieces cheekily shot to resemble bums, navels and more by Sophie Harris-Taylor.
“This campaign is all about reminding people that a great sauce can really make the dish,” according to Hana Hutchinson of Mars Food and Nutrition.
Confectionery: Sweet biscuits | McVitie’s Signature
“Mesmerising… memorable… mysterious,” coos the star of this ad, as he takes in the form of the McVitie’s Signature biscuit in his hand. More ‘m’ words follow – the ad is named ‘All the Mmms’, after all – before the payoff: “Oh, McVitie’s!”
“Having a flamboyant character, reclined in a forest, waxing lyrical about the pure indulgence of his McVitie’s Signature really tickled us. It’s all a bit over the top, but in a very knowing kind of way,” says Paul Jordan of TBWA\London.
Confectionery: Sugar | Haribo
Haribo and Quiet Storm’s ‘Kids Voices’ is one of the biggest advertising hits of the decade – it marked 10 years in 2024 and has been seen in 23 countries.
This latest chapter adopts the same irresistible formula to introduce Haribo’s new Nostalgix. Two women – voiced by toddlers, of course – sit on a bench in a British seaside scene before diving into the treats. “It’s been a joy to add a nostalgic spin to a timeless format – squidgy like a jellyfish!” says Trevor Robinson of Quiet Storm.
Dairy: Drink | Frijj
“Young men today are being bombarded by finance bros, looksmaxxers and alpha influencers… We wanted to remind [them] it’s OK to take a step back and enjoy yourself,” says George Wait, creative director at agency VCCP.
Frijj’s ‘Just Feel the Urjj’ campaign takes aim at the ‘grindset culture’, targeting 16 to 24-year-old men across social media. The spot opens with a faux finance bro urging his audience that “the liquid asset you should be investing in is…” before absolute chaos ensues featuring laser sound effects, talking tortoises riding milkshake bottles and much more.
The ad follows on from last year’s light-hearted ‘Embrace the Urjj’ campaign, which featured billboards showing Frijj bottle-shaped holes – after someone had supposedly embraced the ‘Urjj’ to grab it.
Dairy: Cheese | Cathedral City
The Grocer lives by the mantra ‘nothing ever got worse for putting cheese on it’, and it appears the creatives at Cathedral City and agency Otherway agree.
The ‘Makes it Better’ ad depicts gorgeously melty cheese oozed over foods to demonstrate how – you guessed it – it ‘makes them better’. The £7m creative push ran across TV, VOD, OOH and social media. It’s “a celebration” of how cheese “elevates familiar dishes”, says Cathedral City senior brand manager Abi Armson.
Dairy: Handheld ice cream | Magnum Utopia
When Magnum launched its new Utopia range in February, it promised “a multisensorial ice cream experience”.
The ‘Take Your Pleasure Beyond’ campaign took that theme and ran with it, via a visually striking commercial, Magnum’s first festival activation, an partnership with DJ/chef Marcus O’Laoire, who was asked to pair the two new flavours with records. The Double Cherry? Amy Winehouse. The Double Hazelnut? Progressive house (obvs).
Dairy: Yoghurts | Müller
Müller’s first campaign in a decade for its Bliss range arrived with the express intention of rebranding the SKU as an “everyday luxury”.
According to Helen Carswell, marketing manager at Müller, the brand calls Bliss “our Sleeping Beauty” and “now felt like the right time to reintroduce the nation” to it. Developed by agency VCCP, the work cheekily replicates luxury brand advertising and pairs it with over-the-top (but genuine) online reviews by Bliss customers.
Fish | John West
Ads talking up eco credentials can be rather po-faced, which makes agency Havas London and John West’s effort for its Ecotwist packs refreshing.
The voiceover comes from an actor in possession of the staple ‘agreeably jaunty northern accent’, as she extols the virtues of the “fully faff-free” tins. Meanwhile we see people struggling with everyday green traumas, from negotiating an array of recycling bins to struggling to get any liquid through an obdurate paper straw – #relatable.
Hot beverages: Tea | PG Tips
They say ‘never go back’, but this return by PG Tips’ much-loved mascot just felt right. Monkey was resuscitated to launch the tea brand’s new creative platform ‘Live Life One Tea At a Time’.
The work by New Commercial Arts was supported by a whopping £8m campaign spend and follows a supposed new reality show depicting Monkey’s home life with new wife Alice, played charmingly by Emily Atack, and their two kids, Earl and Chai (geddit?).
“I’m incredibly proud of the work… It’s bold, funny and absolutely captures the chaos of family life and the role that tea plays for so many British families,” says Elle Barker, CMO at brand owner Lipton Teas. “‘Live Life One Tea At a Time’ puts Monkey and the brand back in the spotlight and kicks off a new chapter for PG Tips.”
Fresh produce | Albert Bartlett
Andy Murray may have dealt with the pressure of a championship point on Centre Court (twice), but the prospect of preparing the side dishes for a dinner party is what really worries him, according to this fun ad from Albert Bartlett.
It joined an uplifting spot titled ‘Roll On Jersey Royal Season’, in which smiling locals embrace a minor potato avalanche in their village, as the potato giant launched multimillion-pound campaigns across TV, VOD, socials and OOH.
Frozen | Birds Eye
“What’s the recipe for a good life?” asks a voiceover. The answer is, of course, an “omega-3-filled” fish finger. As well as “vitamin-rich miracle” peas and the “protein-packed perfection” of, er, Chicken Dippers.
Birds Eye’s ‘That’s a Recipe for a Life Well Fed’ masterbrand campaign launched in August to celebrate the nation’s reappraisal of frozen food as a “modern, nutritious and sustainable choice”, according to Claire Sutton, marketing director at Birds Eye UK&I.
Frozen: Potatoes | McCain
McCain has committed to implementing regenerative agriculture across 100% of the farms that grow its potatoes by 2030.
It’s a target worth shouting about – and it duly did with a campaign fronted by actor Rachel Brosnahan. ‘Taste Good. Feel Good’ encourages consumers to learn more about McCain’s regenerative journey and Regen Fries, a new product made from only regeneratively farmed potatoes in the US. Let’s hope it starts to chip away at the public consciousness.
Hot beverages: Coffee | Nespresso
Nespresso continued its partnership with outrageously handsome national icon David Beckham via this social campaign comprising three spots.
The recipe is clear: David Beckham looks suave roaming London with a pistachio iced coffee; David Beckham looks suave making an iced coffee at home; David Beckham looks suave preparing a decaf while bathed in golden-hour light. It’s beautifully shot, aspirational stuff, and as the old saying goes: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Household: Paper | Andrex
Taking the pee out of the countless devices and apps that track our health, this ad suggests a more analog approach to monitoring our bowel movements: looking at our poo in the bowl.
It’s not just toilet humour. The campaign – ‘Look Back & Track’ – is in partnership with Bowel Cancer UK and aims to promote the “natural and free health tracker” as a way to spot signs of any bowel-related issues earlier. Research by Andrex found while 41% of Brits track their health, only 15% monitor their movements. One in four (24%) won’t look at their poo.
“Our joint mission is to get the nation to tackle the embarrassment around pooing and drive earlier diagnosis of bowel cancer,” says Niamh Finan, marketing director at Andrex. “Encouraging people to look back and track their poo is a step towards achieving this.”
Household: Cleaning | Dettol
Parenting little ones is chaos with a layer of unspecified stickiness, something captured by Dettol’s influencer ambassadors in a way a TV spot couldn’t.
Sydney May Crouch’s posts shared that no matter how much she cleans up after her toddler “it’s instantly a mess again”. Wipe-wielding Emma Stephenson, meanwhile, invited viewers on a 15-minute speed-clean of her daughter’s room. Dettol makes the Sisyphean task both easier and more relatable.
Household: Laundry | Bold
The birdsong, gentle breeze and whispering voiceover, combined with close-ups of flowers and fluttering sheets, make Bold’s ad a blissful experience.
The (painfully handsome) man behind the voice soon appears and takes a big whiff of a freshly cleaned sheet. “Just breathe it all in,” he smoulders. Viewers took to social media in droves to find out the identity of the actor (Jordan Duvigneau). A sensory encounter that feels far removed from the mundanity of doing the laundry.
Meat-free | Quorn
A 10-week blitz covering TV, VOD, social, influencers, podcasts and PR ensured few missed the multimillion-pound ‘Nothing to Hide’ push promoting Quorn’s high-protein, no artificial ingredients range.
As well as a TV ad that saw the return of the brand’s puppet crew – Perry Pig, Clarence Cow and Chickson Chicken – Quorn launched its biggest-ever shopper campaign in over 1,500 supermarkets, with branded freezers, gondola ends, in-store radio and online activity.
Meat | Denny’s
Pilgrim’s Europe and its ‘Denny Time, Denny Place’ campaign “embodies our brand values of quality, family and goodness”, says Ashley Moran, marketing and category director.
Perhaps. Or it could just be a cracking slogan that lends itself to a variety of situations in its TV spot. Like the dad attempting to sneak a slice of ham from the fridge, or the hungover lads revived by a sausage brekkie. As Moran puts it, the ad “celebrates the versatility of the brand and how it fits every occasion”.
Personal care: Deodorants | Sure
Do you call them ‘boobs’, ‘ta-tas’ or something else? Unilever came in hot with its Sure Whole Body deodorant range, launching a multimillion-pound campaign to back it.
The key theme was “pushing beyond underarm care” to provide odour protection for all nooks and crannies and drive “awareness that only a small percentage of sweat comes from underarms”, according to Monique Rossi, Unilever GM for deodorants.
The central advert ran across TV and social, supported by OOH and cinema ads. In it, people of all shapes and sizes are seen applying Sure to their nether regions and beyond, while slang terms such as ‘marbles’ and ‘muffin’ appear on the screen. “Whatever you call them, wherever you smell – new Sure Whole Body deodorant,” coos the voiceover.
Personal care: Shaving | Harry’s
Harry’s says it’s built its ‘Man, That Feels Good’ campaign around its ethos of honesty. The humorous, cinematic work follows three men aiming to transform themselves – with the voiceover providing an honest take on how Harry’s can help.
Harry’s shaving products “can’t make you a whole new man” it admits. “For that, you’ll need forged documents and unlicensed plastic surgery. A smooth shave feels nice, though.” When honesty is this witty, it really is the best policy.
Personal care: Shampoo | Head & Shoulders
GOAT as an acronym for ‘greatest of all time’ was always going to be a blessing for creatives. And the ‘GOAT’ campaign from Head & Shoulders uses it to great effect.
First, a walker comes across a talking goat for a discussion about dandruff, before Queen of Hair Claudia Winkleman appears on a red chaise longue to hammer home the anti-dandruff message and finish with a deadpan nod to the talking goat. The ad itself might not be the GOAT, but it’s pretty good.
Personal care: Oral | Corsodyl
It’s almost 10 years since Corsodyl’s infamous tooth loss ‘Dreams’ adverts spawned complaints from viewers and dentists. Its latest push on TikTok is much less controversial.
Creators Hadley O’Garro and Jackie Amoako share their daily routines, dropping in Corsodyl’s products as they go, with the former declaring “I’m a Corsodyl boy”. No one is reinventing the wheel here, but as short, sharp bursts of sponsored content go, they’re focused and fresh.
Personal care: Family skincare | Sudocrem
Sudocrem has been soothing skin since 1931, but in most consumers’ minds it’s mainly associated with nappy rash. The ‘Not Just for Babies’ campaign set out to change that, with a baby ‘explaining’ the various ailments his family members use the cream for, from eczema to cuts and grazes.
Meanwhile, the #UncoveredBySudocrem social videos showcase real people discussing how they refuse to allow skin conditions to hold them back – stirring stuff.
Personal Care: Skincare | Dove
Take it again. Again. OK, one more. So goes the photo-taking process for nine out of 10 women, according to Dove research, with many taking up to 50 shots before selecting ‘the one’ to post on social media. And 60% avoid sharing special moments altogether because they don’t like how they look.
To help break this sad cycle, the brand concocted a simple mechanic: #ShareTheFirst. “By focusing on the first photo – the one typically deleted or hidden – we created a tangible way for women to reject perfection culture through a single, empowering action that anyone could participate in,” Dove explains. Some 111 creators kicked off the push by sharing their firsts, with many appearing in an OOH takeover at London’s Liverpool Street Station. Perceptions of Dove championing inclusivity rose by 9ppts (to 88%).
Personal Care: Toothpaste | Oral-B
Sure, you’ve secured model and mega-influencer Abbey Clancy as brand ambassador. And five-time British Paralympic champion swimmer Ellie Simmonds.
But can they spit bars like “a clean that never stops… due to stannous fluoride” in a banger that peak Craig David would be chuffed with? Only one man can: the bald and bearded teeth-fluencer The Singing Dentist – Dr Milad Shadrooh – who has made a name for himself online with lyrical content encouraging daily brushing.
Rice | Ben’s Originals
This year saw the launch of global brand platform ‘Keep It Original’. Despite the mission statement, the TV ad for ready-to-heat rice was a little prosaic.
True originality came via the brand’s engagement with influencers, which saw them undertake challenges within the time taken to microwave the product. Freestyler Formz took three random words to write a rap. Therese Ryan saw how much cleaning she could get done, while ScottCanEat tried to discover his hidden talent.
Savoury Pastries | Ginsters
“Pastry Toasties aren’t just another lunch option, they’re a cultural moment,” says Lauren Coates, creative director at TBWA\London, of Ginsters’ NPD, tongue slightly in cheek. The campaign enlisted consumers to be culinary pioneers, with lines like “Become the first person in history to put pastry in a toaster”.
“The work is bold, hype-driven and deliberately overblown, celebrating the joy of something hot, tasty and brilliantly simple,” Coates adds.
Soft drinks: Carbonates | Irn-Bru
A highly comedic – and undeniably Scottish – mini sitcom sees a wee lad deliver an impassioned speech in the local corner shop. Irn-Bru is “not a soft drink” he argues, it’s “flying too close to the sun, when you’re ginger, in a heatwave” and “showing the world who you truly are”. It ends – how else? – with the return of the brand’s famous, heritage line: “Made in Scotland, from girders”.
A witty scene marking the first work for the brand by its new agency, Lucky Generals.
Soft Drinks: Squashes & Cordials | Robinsons
In this lovely piece of slice-of-life advertising, a mum gets a call from her son’s school. “He’s done what?! Ruddy ’ell!”
We never find out what the boy sitting pensively in the playground as a teacher talks to his mum actually did. But it’s enough for him to get the silent treatment on the drive home.
The tension is broken when the pair sit at the kitchen table with a glass of squash each, and giggles turn into belly laughs.
The teaching community was not impressed, arguing online that it trivialised misbehaviour. Most parents, one suspects, would see the funny side.
“The platform shows consumers that Robinsons not only understands modern families, the challenges of parenting and real family life, but is also an integral part of it,” says Clare Brosnan, Robinsons brand marketing director.
Supplements/functional | Huel
Athletes and fitness influencers feature in this frenetically cut, grainy black-and-white TV spot from Huel, but so do Uber drivers, late night workers, hedonistic clubbers and farmers – a clear sign Huel is seeking to broaden its appeal beyond gym bunnies to anyone with fire in their belly and work to do.
The soundtrack – Disclosure’s When a Fire Starts to Burn – perfectly matches the pace and message. It’s sure to drive further growth of the brand, which has made huge gains recently.
Spreads | Lurpak
In this heartwarming experiment, scientific rigour is applied to test whether tasty treats baked ‘with love’ taste any better.
An experimental psychologist at the University of Oxford used heart rate monitors and micro facial expression analysis to measure the emotional response of participants to tasting sweet treats made by their loved ones, versus the same treat made by a professional chef. Love (and Lurpak) wins every time.
Stock & seasonings | Knorr
The brand used billboards to show “half-assembled burgers, busted burritos, pizza with no cheese” and other “fast food delivery fails” – to convince customers to cook at home.
After all, “you can deliver better”, the tagline exclaims. A TikTok and Instagram campaign enlisted several influencers to encourage users to post and share their own delivery disaster tales. “Home cooking is the answer to level up almost everything,” says Carlos Andrés Rodriguez of MullenLowe UK.
Soft Drinks: Energy drinks | Red Bull
Red Bull’s backing of extreme and often oddball sports has made it the champion of all sorts of non-mainstream tribes. In the 2010s, it was an early mover in sponsoring e-sports, winning the appreciation of gamers for recognising the seriousness of their pursuit.
This year it launched Red Bull Tetris, a global competition that injected new life into the 41-year-old game with new mechanics like time-limited rounds, gravity shifts, speed boosts and special power-ups.
No comments yet