adam&eve/DDB won the McCain account in the UK in October last year, so this is its first brand campaign for the frozen food brand.

The ad is lovely to watch because it’s real. No one ever shows dinner time as the hectic chaotic event that happens in a rush it tends to be in real life. In fact, the ad also features ten real families.

So McCain frozen vegies and meals are a convenience, you’d think, because real dinners are hectic and chaotic and happen in a rush.

But that’s where the ad gets really interesting.

“We’ve worked with real families to build a campaign to remind mum that however frenetic and chaotic it might feel, these family teas really are where the good stuff happens,” Mat Goff, joint managing director at adam&eve/DDB, stated.

The ad states it too: “It’s only teatime but it’s where the good stuff happens.”

The Stable gets the double entendre. And maybe some viewers will also take in the message that McCain is a healthy option.

Mark Hodge, marketing director at McCain, explained the ad like this: “Our aim is to create excitement around teatime among new and existing shoppers. We are keen to help families across the UK appreciate the occasion, enjoy the good stuff and relish the simple joy of connecting over food as well as offering quality, value and convenience from our product portfolio.”

And Goff added, “The first thing we did when we started working on the business was to go and eat tea with some McCain families.

“We were instantly struck by the contrast between mum’s perception of the occasion and how much good, fun family stuff was going on around the meal time.”

What does the ad say to you?