A series of advertisements that tackled tough topics like cheese slice rage; soy after-taste face; hard butter mess and even featured a crazy cat lady took out the AdNews ad campaign of the year in the 2014 AdNews Awards.
Murray Goulburn's Devondale advertisements won for the “irreverent and bold treatment of a 'boring' category”, according to AdNews.
Though it advertised prolifically prior to the campaign, Devondale had low recall so the brand and its agency set out to shift consumer perception by forming an emotional connection with viewers. The result? A number of absurd, often politically incorrect, but embarrassingly relatable scenarios.
Take the "Man Child" (see below) and "Sunshine Bubble" ads for the Fast Start breakfast drink, which deal with the potential pitfalls of pulling the wrong face at the wrong time.
According to AdNews, the product generated $4.9 million in revenue in less than 10 months, and also grew the breakfast drink category as a whole.
The political incorrectness continued with more ads including "Crazy Cat Lady" for long-life milk, "Stepdad Steve" for spreadable butter and "Cyclops" for easy peel cheese (see below).
According to AdNews, half of Devondale's ads came under challenge from the ad watchdog.
"But what those grievances actually confirmed is what the Devondale ads were so successful at – and what great advertising should do – and that is its disruptive and visceral creativity. Great ads always make someone uncomfortable," wrote AdNews.
