Gary Lineker takes his No More Mr Nice Guy character to the
ultimate extreme and turns homicidal in the latest commercial for
Walkers crisps in which he tries to bump off England’s latest
goal-scoring sensation, Michael Owen.
The pounds 50,000-a-week Liverpool star, who has replaced Lineker as the
country’s most famous footballer, has to sidestep a series of desperate
- and over-the-top - elimination attempts in the film, breaking
nationally this Thursday.
Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO has produced the 40- and 30-second spots to
launch Walkers’ new Cheese and Owen flavour, while aiming to build on
the brand’s 60 per cent claimed market share.
Lineker continues to send up his image as a national treasure, while
attempting to take out Owen with a falling grand piano and a swinging
demolition ball.
The jealous Lineker is revealed in the control box of a crane slowing
down his intended victim by dropping a packet of the crisp brand in
front of him.
Owen stops to savour the snack but Lineker is thwarted when he tries to
destroy his arch rival by releasing a lorry on top of him. A voiceover
cuts in with: ’Walkers are proud to announce their new Cheese and Owen
Flavour. Sorry Gary.’
James Boulton, Walkers’ marketing director for crisps, said: ’AMV
continues to refresh and strengthen the campaign.’
The commercial was written by Peter Souter, AMV’s executive creative
director, art directed by Mike Durban and directed by Paul Weiland.
Media planning and buying is handled by Media-Vest.
This is the third major commercial AMV has produced for Walkers since
taking the award-winning account out of BMP DDB last year.
BMP, which introduced Lineker as the face of the brand together with the
’no more Mr Nice Guy’ line in 1994, lost out as a result of an
international realignment by Walkers’ Frito Lay parent into the BBDO
network.
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