Ad of the Day: Lurpak

The world is going to hell in a hurry. But at least we've got our comfort food, which has sustained us for millennia—all cooked with rich, quality butter. That's the reassurance offered by Wieden + Kennedy London in its latest visually astonishing spot in the U.K. for Danish butter brand Lurpak. No other campaign in all of advertising will make you feel as hungry as the Lurpak ads do. W+K has been cooking up a whole new kind of food porn for this client in recent years, redefining tabletop with incredibly forceful close-up hero shots of the food (and the process of hammering it into shape) that are as aggressive as they are mouthwatering—backed by rhythmic soundtracks that drive the action forward. In this new spot, the muscular approach is particularly compelling, as Lurpak isn't just claiming to make your meals a little tastier. It wants nothing less than to help humans through their current tough times—and to feel fulfilled at the dinner table, if nowhere else. This sweeping historical context is evident from the first frames, as a spark ignites a flame on a stove. (Look, we've discovered fire!) "Mankind wasn't built on just baby leaf salad," says the almost absurdly gruff Rutger Hauer voiceover. "Stomachs full, we marched forward on meals forged with our own two hands." We then see three such meals being prepared—cottage pie, bread and butter pudding, and macaroni and cheese—as primal drum beats mark every slice, smear, grate and stir of the classic comfort dishes. It's almost an industrial vibe—the prep shots are cold and dark, even foreboding, with every pot and pan and knife and timer built for a purpose, not for show or style. At the end, the warmth seeps into the film as the finished dishes are pulled from a scorching oven. "If we can get through an Ice Age, we can get through this week," Hauer says. "Tomorrow, we're ready for you." The on-screen tagline is: "Good food deserves Lurpak." The point is, when it comes to comfort food, you get out what you put in—so don't skimp on the ingredients. And for God's sake don't feel guilty about eating this stuff. "Lurpak has gone against the grain to celebrate the power of the dishes we're so often made to feel bad about," said W+K creative Hollie Newton. "Sod it. It's winter. It's a never-ending recession. We deserve a proper dinner." The 60-second TV spot, directed by Vince Squibb at Gorgeous, broke on Sunday. The $15 million campaign will also include cinema, print, out-of-home, digital, in-store and experiential ads. CREDITS Client: Lurpak, Arla Foods Director of BSM Brands: Stuart Ibberson Senior Brand Manager: Jessica Hardcastle Brand Manager: Samantha Peel Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, London Creative Directors: Dan Norris, Ray Shaughnessy Creative: Hollie Newton Account Director: Emma Simmons Planner: Theo Izzard-Brown Agency TV Producer: Lucy Russell Agency Print Producer: Rebecca Herbert Media Planning: Carat In-store and Experiential: BD Network Digital and Social Media: Outside Line TV Production Company: Gorgeous Director: Vince Squibb Production Director: Sam Levene Offline Editor: Paul Watts at The Quarry Postproduction 2-D Artist: Barnsley at The Mill London Sound Design: Dan Beckwith at Factory Sound Studios Music: Alex Heffes ℅ Abi Leland at Leland Music Food Stylist: Kate Giovanni Print Production Company: Wyatt Clark Jones Photographer: Rick Guest Retouching: Stanleys Post

Brand Marketing

Ad of the Day: Lurpak

W+K churns out another sensory masterpiece in its British butter campaign

Tim Nudd

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Tim Nudd