FMCG giant Lever Faberge is using comedy and honesty to take the sting out of changing their cleaning agent’s name from Jif to Cif in the UK. Video Clip
The ‘Impossible’ campaign from Lowe Lintas launched this week, and features a beguilingly baffled English character trying, and failing, to teach foreigners to pronounce the ‘j’ in Jif.
“People react surprisingly violently when you tinker with something they know,” explains Sam Heath, copywriter on the spot. He cites the name change of chocolate bar Marathon to Snickers as a case of bad handling.
Unilever announced a global strategy to focus on 400 core brands from its 1,600 strong product list in February 2000.
“The first thing is to give them a valid reason for the change - that it’s known as something different in 25 different countries - and then to do that with wit and a bit of charm” says Heath.
Heath and art director Frank Ginger worked with director Simon Delaney on the approach for the spot. Delaney is best known for directing character-driven TV comedy drama series, ‘Cold Feet.’
The actor on the spot was unscripted. Delany filmed on Digibeta so he had the freedom to shoot unlimited footage and so the actor could improvise with members of the general public.
The pared-down crew made it easier to provoke genuine reactions from people, and to spot and chase after unsuspecting talent.
The finished film globetrots through cast and locations as shorthand for different countries. It was filmed in LA making the most of varied weather and locations from January 3 till 11.
