Warburtons, the UK’s largest bakery brand, continues its tradition of partnering with Hollywood royalty for its iconic storytelling adverts, unveiling Academy Award-winning actress Olivia Colman as the star of the latest ad, ‘The Inspection’.
The campaign creative was developed by Joyful & Triumphant, with the support of McCann Manchester for social, and the advert was directed by Declan Lowney at Merman. The integrated media approach was planned by Mindshare, which will see the campaign roll out across TV, VOD, OOH, radio, social, and online from Wednesday 30th April. The campaign leads with a 120″ TV edit, along with 60″ and 30″ cut downs.
Following in the footsteps of A-list celebrities like Robert De Niro and Samuel L. Jackson, Colman brings her signature wit to the new advert, joining bakery boss Jonathan Warburton on-screen, supposedly to determine whether Warburtons crumpets are worthy of ‘National Treasure’ status.
The ad opens with Colman, representing the fictional “Department of National Treasures” (D.O.N.T), storming into Warburtons HQ and placing the bakery firmly under her jurisdiction. Her stern-faced agents sweep through the factory, bagging up every crumpet in sight as Colman delivers a passionate monologue on what is required for crumpets to be granted national treasure status.
Colman soon gets lost in a reverie of crumpet topping possibilities – from the classic butter to slightly more adventurous combinations (but certainly NOT mustard) – her trance is accompanied by the iconic saxophone solo from Wham!’s “Careless Whisper”. In a delightful twist, instead of using the original recording, Warburtons opted to have the tune re-recorded and enlisted the very same saxophonist, Steve Gregory, who first breathed life into the melody back in the 80s.
The ad wraps with Colman getting into a convoy of cars suspiciously laden with crumpets. With an evil laugh and a crumpet in hand, she reveals the whole “inspection” was a brilliantly executed ruse to get her hands on as many Warburtons crumpets as possible.
The advert highlights the nation’s crumpet obsession, with 71%* of crumpet-eating Brits considering the humble crumpet a cornerstone of British culture, and 41% agreeing they deserve National Treasure status and should be ‘protected at all costs’.
Billy Faithfull, ECD and founder at Joyful & Triumphant, said “Is there anything more iconically British than Olivia Colman eating a crumpet? For years now, we’ve been pairing icons of the silver screen with icons of the bakery aisle, so what a fitting pairing Olivia Colman and The World’s Favourite Crumpet (trademark pending) were. They really are both national treasures, and despite Jonathan’s remark in the ad, she really is as nice as everyone says.”
Jonathan Warburton, Chairman of Warburtons, said, “We’re absolutely thrilled to have Olivia Colman join us for this adventure. I might be biased but I certainly believe our crumpets deserve national treasure status, and if Colman’s enthusiasm for the ‘inspection’ is anything to go by, I’d say she does too! I’m confident our crumpets will rise to the occasion, even if that ‘occasion’ is simply being a delicious breakfast or snack at the Colmans’ for many years to come!”
The new advert is set to be another Warburtons classic, combining the brand’s signature warmth and humour with Colman’s unparalleled ability to deliver the ridiculous with absolute sincerity. The new 2-minute ad will go live on social media on Wednesday 30th April, and will air on UK TV on Saturday 3rd May during ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent.
