People love or hate Marmite but if you’re a British expat Marmite lover in the US, your love is unrequited. Marmite isn’t sold in the US.
Surveys regularly show that Marmite is one of the most missed products by expats, and right now, over 700,000 Brits living in the US have little or no access to Marmite. So adam&eveDDB London and New York came up with a plan. Marmite is recruiting daring volunteers in the UK to sneak the spread into the US in a trans-Atlantic show of support for expats.
In a recruitment campaign that has been running across OOH, social, radio, and TV, Marmite is inviting people flying from London to New York to become Marmite Smugglers, by contacting the brand via WhatsApp. Phone kiosks and poster sites have been plastered with the recruitment messages, and in radio, a distorted voice call for Marmite lovers to smuggle the spread to the thousands of expats who need a fix.
The 90-second mock exposé film reveals the extent of the Marmite drought in New York, and documents the lengths that real Marmite Smugglers are going to, to spread the supply across borders.
Willing smugglers have been hauling jars of Marmite on their flights to New York, and are instructed to hand over the goods upon their arrival, state-side. As a thank you for their selfless act, each smuggler has received a special edition Smuggler jar of Marmite.
In the US, Marmite has also been spreading the word of the new supply with guerilla comms and tactical stunts pointing New York expats to a secret pick-up location.
Within the first 48 hours, Marmite received over 500 applicants willing to help spread the Marmite love.
Laura Iliffe, brand manager at Marmite, stated, “Imagine living in a country where you don’t have access to Marmite. By spreading the love and becoming smugglers, Marmite lovers have done a truly heroic deed for British expats.”
Lena Portchmouth, marketing manager at Marmite, added, “Marmite-lovers share a bond and a sense of adventure, and they will go to great lengths for each other, in order to keep supplies flowing. I’m sure the limited number of ‘Smuggler’ jars will be seen as a badge of honour within the Marmite community.”
Richard Brim, chief creative officer at adam&eveDDB, said, “The one thing Sting failed to mention whilst being an Englishman in New York was the distinct lack of Marmite. It’s real. So by enlisting willing Brits to smuggle jars of the spread through customs, we’re continuing to spread the love to our compatriots across the pond.”
Credits
Client: Marmite (Unilever)
General Manager: Andre Burger
Marketing Director: Georgina Bradford
Marketing Manager: Lena Portchmouth
Brand Manager: Laura Iliffe
Creative Agency: adam&eveDDB UK
Chief Creative Officer: Richard Brim
Executive Creative Directors: Ant Nelson & Mike Sutherland
Creatives: Feargal Balance, Matt Gay & Molly Johnstone
Head of Production: Nikki Cramphorn
Head of Print: Jaki Jo Hannan
Chief Executive Officer: Miranda Hipwell
Managing Partner: Tom White
Account Director: Max Sullivan
Planner: Liora Ingram
Project Director: Linda-Aileen Macfarlane
Business Affairs Manager: Layla Husted
Creative Agency: adam&eveDDB NY
Executive Creative Directors: Dave Brown & Daniel Bonder
Creatives: Clarissa Dale, Stacie Larsen & Chris Brailey
Producer: Christopher Lane
Managing Director: James Rowe
Account Director: Tatiana Fernandez
Project Manager: Kimmy Harvey
Media: Mindshare UK
Business Director: Kate Pigden
Account Executives: Meg Wieland & Georgie Coley
Account Directors: George Peto & Hannah Clayton
Account Manager: James Waggott
Production Company: Smuggler
Directors: Henry Alex-Rubin and Jonah & Stan
Producer: Sidney Arthur
Director’s Assistant: Kj Brown
Production Assistant: Kamran Marzban
Post Production & VFX: Untold Studios
Chief Creative Officer: Neil Davies
VFX Artist: Andrew Curtis
Executive Producer: Ian Berry
Producer: George Reid
Post Production Assistant: Zuzanna Drozdz
Editorial: Cabin Edit
Editor: Talia Pasqua
Producer: Alex Hooker
PR: W Communications
