Is there anything else we can look forward to from Merryn and Ginsters?
Merryn is certainly going to continue to be a very important part of our brand storytelling, we see her as a key distinctive brand asset. Not only is she distinctive, but she embodies our brand personality, she’s seen as funny, open and friendly and down to earth, just like us! You can expect to see even more of her in our social media activity, as we continue to dial up our presence in social and align our content even more closely to our Masterbrand platform.
Expect to also see some bold earned activations from Ginsters this year as we continue to embed the brand in culture and create more moments to engage with our audience in a playful way.
Aside from this campaign, what else are you most proud of in your career so far?
I have to say I’m most proud of being part of the history of some iconic British brands, I’ve been lucky enough to work on McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes, Hovis and also Butlins. All brands with a rich heritage just like Ginsters, that I was entrusted to build a new chapter, for example launching Jaffa Jonuts and giving consumers a new way to enjoy a much-loved icon. It’s so rewarding as a marketer to take a heritage brand and create modern work for new audiences without losing what makes the brand unique.
This is the second film featuring Merryn the farmer. In total honesty we nearly did it wrong and as a result learned a real lesson. In advertising we’re often guilty of moving on from our idea too quickly (we’ve all done it) when it’s not worn out with consumers and there’s still plenty of life in it.
Initially we wrote something that moved (only slightly) away from the heart of the first one. It tested well but deep down we all knew something wasn’t right. So fair play to Lauren Coates (the CD) as she was the one who actually called it out. So she went back with writer Dan Jones and developed Merryn and her world out further – still in the documentary style. Full credit to Sarah and her team here because it would have been much easier to stay as we were and not go back and rewrite. But it was the right thing to do which I think is evidenced in the end result. I don’t know if we were trying too hard before or trying to be too clever but we soon realised there was a wealth of really nice and funny ideas still untapped.
In creating part two it was important to feel of the same world but to delve deeper into it. Biscuit filmworks continued production duties and did a superb job with Florence Poppy Deary at the helm this time. Florence added some smart fresh thinking balanced with acknowledging what had gone before.
The decision the team made that I like the most is the way the product enjoyment shot at the end is tackled. Previously we had Merryn eating her pasty and loving it, which was perfect for part one. This time Merryn peers in though a family’s window as they enjoy their Ginsters in the name of “taste analysis”. Not only was this neat and fun but it allowed the really important ending feel as entertaining as the rest of the film. Typically end product shots feel isolated to the rest of the ad.
Merryn has always been a great character that we’re really proud of. We developed her for longevity and flexibility across all comms. So expect her popping up in different places soon. She’s a great vehicle for social particularly and even activations.
Ginsters now works with adam&eve\TBWA as a consequence of the takeover of IPG by Omnicom over recent months.…Read more by Creative Salon