Created by The Corner London, the spot lampoons the ad industry’s eagerness to prove brand purpose.
It features a specially-constructed "Togetherness Bottle" which has a cap and neck at both ends to enable two people to share the drink simultaneously.
The commercial shows strangers who are encouraged to share a bottle of Oasis. They discover it is double-ended and then struggle to do so - demonstrating the ridiculousness of the ad’s claimed purpose. ‘Harmony – just a few billion sales away!’ the voice over says.
It is part of the "Refreshing Stuff" campaign in which Oasis is seen as up front about being sales-y while challenging particular marketing tactics and conventions.
Gemma Barnett, stills portfolio manager at Coca-Cola UK, which owns the Oasis brand, said: "A true and powerful insight has to be at the core of any script for us to invest in."
The insight at the core of "Refreshing Stuff" is that some young people believe advertising purpose is overplayed, said The Corner’s co-creative director Robert Amstell. "They’re savvy and see right through it. Rather than try and convince them otherwise, we just joined in and laughed with them." The spot was not intended to parody any single brand, he added.
Rob Fletcher, creative partner at Isobel and a Thinkbox Academy judge, singled out the ad for praise in his review of the May/June Thinkboxes shortlist. "I love the Oasis campaign and this ad in particular, because it is honest and real. It talks to the real me, the one I pretend I’m not."
"Togetherness" was directed by Jamie Delaney through Blackdog.
Second and third in the May/June Thinkboxes Awards for TV ad creativity were "Smooth" for Lurpak by Wieden+Kennedy London and "Mortgage Number One" for Nationwide by VCCP. Also shortlisted were "The Toughest Critics" for Sainsbury's by Wieden+Kennedy London and "I see Vimto in you" for Vimto by Quiet Storm.
The Thinkboxes, in association with ±±¾©Èü³µpk10, are the only bi-monthly awards that celebrate the UK’s world-beating TV ad creativity, in all its forms. They’re judged by the Thinkbox Academy – 200 advertising and marketing luminaries who have been involved in award-winning creative work for TV.
Take a swig of "Togetherness" and find out about the making of the ad in the August issue of ±±¾©Èü³µpk10.
Want to see more great work? Head to the Thinkboxes hub
Thinkbox is the marketing body for commercial TV in the UK, in all its forms. Its shareholders are Channel 4, ITV, Sky Media, Turner Media Innovations and UKTV. Thinkbox works with the marketing community with a single ambition: to help advertisers get the best out of today’s TV.
