Ad of the Day | McVitie's shows the importance of connections in new "Sweeter Together" campaign

Mar. 09, 2018

In a new purpose-led campaign created by Grey London, McVitie’s shows how the simple act of sharing a biscuit has the power to bring people together.  

Using a modern day fable of characters who feel disconnected, the spot shows how the people closest to them reach out with a tiny bit of help from McVitie’s, ensuring connections are formed. The campaign stems from the insight that although biscuits are really rather trivial, they can be extremely powerful, especially when it comes to bringing people closer together.

The campaign, set in an animated world, breaks on national television in the UK and the Republic of Ireland on March 9 with ‘Crane’, a 60-second film for the McVitie’s masterbrand.

It shows the operator of a tower crane diligently going about his work dozens of metres above the ground. Below him, he can see his colleagues enjoying the camaraderie of a tea break, complete with McVitie’s. He waves, but is not seen. As the day wears on, the operator becomes gloomier, craving some company – even if it’s only from passing birds. When he is convinced that everyone’s forgotten about him he gets a surprise – the steel beam he has lifted has been loaded with a cup of tea and some McVitie’s biscuits. He looks down and sees his colleagues waving and smiling at him and his mood instantly lifts.

“Sometimes the little things are actually the really big things,” the voiceover tells us. The ad finishes with the tagline “McVitie’s. Sweeter Together”.

Grey London partnered with multi award-winning directors Smith & Foulkes through Nexus, to create the films. The duo are behind dozens of campaigns, including the BBC’s ‘Sprout Boy’ Christmas work, Honda Grrr and the Oscar nominated short ‘This Way Up’. Most recently they created idents for the BBC’s 2018 Winter Olympics coverage. The voiceover is from actress Sally Hawkins, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role in The Shape of Water, which was named as this year’s Best Film at the Academy awards.

The music to these films was developed by Peter Raeburn, of SoundTree, who composed the orchestral pieces that followed the emotional journey of the protagonists in these stories. The British composer and songwriter is well known for his work with director Jonathan Glazer’s films Sexy Beast, Birth and the BAFTA nominated Under The Skin.

Sarah Heynen, Vice President of Marketing at McVitie’s, said:

“Gestures, no matter how small, can have a big effect on bringing us all together. We’re thrilled to be launching a campaign that shows the power of togetherness and how we can all benefit from being better connected through the small things in life.”

 

Nick Rowland, Creative Director at Grey London, said:

“The humble biscuit isn’t going to change the world, but sharing them creates moments that can bring people closer. This is something that matters more to us now than ever and is why these stories of togetherness feel universal to us.”

 

Along with television, the campaign runs on social and in-store. Media is through Wavemaker and Live & Breathe is working on the retail element.

The second part of the campaign will break later this year.