Adwatch reviews: Walkers

Marketing 16-Sep-08, 14:56

LONDON - Logan Wilmont, executive creative director of Draftfcb, reviews the Walkers TV commercial 'Suggest a flavour', which had the highest recall with the public in the weekly Adwatch ranking for 17 September.

Straight in at number one, this is the stuff every marketing department dreams of. But it's no fluke for Walkers - this is return on consistent investment.

The brand's ads featuring football hero Gary Lineker started long before Russians and sheiks owned premiership clubs, and have become one of Britain's longest-running campaigns.

In 1995 Walkers, which is based in Leicester, picked the city's favourite son as the face of their brand. Even when Gary played away from home, they stuck with him, and their loyalty and consistency has paid off. It isn't my favourite Walkers ad, but it illustrates the flexibility this campaign has as a result of that consistency.

It isn't another good old-fashioned Walkers ad - something quite different is happening here. The brand is engaging in a dialogue with its fans, inviting them to 'Do us a flavour' by inventing the next variant of Walkers crisp.

This is no simple on-pack promotion, but a sophisticated online competition, packed with brand engagement pieces. Gary's on the website to help, of course, with Heston Blumenthal adding credibility. There's even a £50,000 prize.

If I had one criticism, it's that the online experience is a bit complex and messy, but that's nitpicking.

This is a brand that truly understands its place in the British public's heart, and the role that a popular celebrity can play. If ever a campaign disproves the theory that celebrities 'cannibalise' brands, surely this is the one. Perhaps the next time such old-fashioned cliches pop up we will all think twice.

So congratulations, Walkers, and well done, Gary. Your teamwork has turned a simple promotion into a compelling piece of brand communication.

Ulster Fry flavour, anyone?