CREATIVE HITS AND MISSES OF THE WEEK WITH TIN MAN CREATIVE DIRECTOR JAMES HOYLE
Tin Man Creative Director James Hoyle has given PR Week his run down on the PR Hits and Misses this week, see below for his top spots…
HIT
Lidl cereal rebrand
While we are encouraged to ditch something that’s bad for us during [insert prefix]-uary, Lidl has joined suit and made a stand for the Anti-pester-parents Party.
As well as claiming it has ditched a whole sh*t-ton of sugar from its own-brand cereals, temptingly titled Choco Rice, Cereal Cookie, Choco Shells, Frosted Flakes and suchlike, Lidl also plans to put kids off wanting these brekkie bowl-fillers by scrapping cartoon characters on its cereal boxes. Goodbye Choco Rice monkey and good riddance!
I, for one, have long rejoiced at the audacity of this retailer and enjoyed the primary designs and names of its knock-off chocolate bars, crisps and cereals. But alas, their shelf life is over. A bit like when the Lindt Xmas chocolate balls are replaced by Creme Eggs. Or, in Lidl's case, something very similar. And probably half the price.
Madam Tussauds 'removes' Harry & Meghan
I've always thought when it comes to talent, working with wax would be a lot more fun than the real thing. Madam Tussauds did what it does best. I reckon it’ll match distance with coverage; inch for inch!
Frankie & Benny's 'Veg Loaf'
Frankie & Benny's caught my eye this week with its own brand of plant-based 'humour'.
It cast the oddly deflated Meat Loaf in his most convincing role since he replaced Frank Bruno as Dennis-the-bus-driver in Spice World. The rock legend is seen becoming increasingly irritated at the suggestion of a veggie rebrand, courtesy of two overly enthusiastic millennial media types.
On the face of it; spoof ad content plus celeb name-change gag means I'd usually run a mile… to the nearest Nando's. But you can't argue with some of the exposure this campaign has got for the troubled restaurant chain.
MISS
Subway vegan launch
From meat loaf to meatballs, and Subway has finally, officially, launched the vegan version of its iconic Meatball Marinara Sub sandwich; claiming you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference from the real thing.
Oddly, the brand selects a room full of, presumably, vegan-oriented 'influencers' to prove it.
Fortunately, they must all be relatively recent converts in order to remember just how good the 'proper' version tastes and are momentarily 'duped' (and it is just a moment – I was hardly on the edge of my seat) into thinking they have been accidentally served the wrong sandwich.
Thankfully, they are quickly reassured, by a person dressed in a very smart suit jacket and blouse, that it is in fact the correct sandwich: the Meatless Meatball Marinara. And they can all forget about calling Jordi Casamitjana’s lawyer.