More divisive than Brexit and the Irish border combined, Marmite has been pulling the nation apart since 1996 – the year BMP DDB first launched the "Love it or hate it" campaign. After decades of heated debates at the breakfast table, the brand is stacking the odds in its favour with a hypnotising campaign.
Created by Adam & Eve/DDB, the ad enlists a band of jam-lovers for a social experiment, with trained hypnotist and author Rory Z Fulcher putting his skills to the test in an effort to convert them to the savoury side. As the spot continues, members of the public are overwhelmed with anger, fear and regret as Fulcher’s hypnotherapy proves a success.
Although Fulcher's work with Marmite has been deemed too powerful to be shown to the masses, a two-minute teaser clip is available online – a taste of what's to come for a select few spread cynics who will be invited to London to watch a hypnosis film under controlled conditions.
I would love to believe this tongue-in-cheek campaign is some sort of commentary on today's climate of fake news and bumbling politicians. More likely, it's a brand reinventing the wheel of a classic marketing strategy, attempting to shed the "hate" from the "Love it or hate it" slogan and convert critics to the yeasty goodness of Marmite.
I, for one, am convinced. All hail, Marmite.
Brand Marmite
Title Mind control
Agency Adam & Eve/DDB
Directors Martin Granger, Ewan Jones Morris
Production companies Moxie Pictures, Friends Electric
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