It’s not easy to find authentic depictions of real relationships in advertising. So for Valentine’s Day this year, McCain decided to make a change.
As part of the brand’s £3.2m ad push, the second in the ‘We Are Family’ series puts real couples in the spotlight, featuring a diverse mix of people and relationships that aren’t always represented by the media.
Proving the power of emotional advertising fuelled by insight, here’s why we chose ‘Here’s to Love’ as our February campaign of the month.
The Insight
84% of consumers are unable to recall seeing anything in popular culture that features a family like theirs.
This was the insight that inspired the campaign, created by adam&eveDDB. Veering away from traditional, unrelatable depictions of love, the creative teams used this finding to infuse authenticity in their marketing.
Cementing the UK brand’s status as a “family company focused on people and values”, this research proved essential in positioning McCain as a key point of connection in everyday family life among the modern British public.
The Message
Speaking directly to the many UK consumers who buy McCain products, the ad asks: “When it comes to love, what’s normal?”
Featuring couples from all walks of life, it celebrates real love that exists far beyond the boundaries of age, gender, race, disability or ethnicity.
“Love doesn’t care about gender, where you’re from, or what others may think.”
Portraying mealtime in a simplistic but emotional way, the campaign highlights this as a moment to come together as a family and connect over ‘something nice’ for dinner.
Mark Hodge, Marketing Director at McCain, states: “Their genuine relationships shine through in the advert and showcase the true pleasure of coming together with the people we love and the special mealtime moments we connect over, which is what this campaign is all about.”
Why it Worked
Expertly using research in a bid to embed themselves more deeply in the everyday lives of their audience, the brand shows how a revealing insight can spawn a brilliant idea.
Knowing their ‘ordinary’ consumers were the key focus – people who craved more of that raw, human element that makes their relationships unique – they put diversity front and centre with a campaign that both draws emotion and boasts authenticity.
Despite the first ‘We Are Family’ campaign resulting in some homophobic abuse being aimed at the ad’s real-life, same-sex couple, McCain maintains its voice in the latest entry – squarely aimed at its consumers: families, of all kinds.
Ben Tollett, Group ECD at adam&eveDDB, says: “We wanted to create an ad that threw a spotlight on real couples’ nights in. Not in a schmaltzy, sappy way. But in a truthful, emotional way. Here’s to the eight brilliant couples who invited us into their homes to film them doing their thing. Proof once again that it’s ordinary people that make our world extraordinary.”
