I Wish I Had Done That - Marmite Gene Project

My boy is not my boy.

I know that sounds harsh, but I really do think I may not be the father. 

Now, you are probably wondering how I have come to this conclusion considering he is literally a carbon copy of me, incredibly good looking with a great sense of humor, fantastic at football and blessed with a rock-solid six-pack. 

Ok, maybe there was a slight overreach on the six-pack comparison and you can stop laughing now, but seriously in every other aspect he is pretty close to being a "mini-me”. 

So, how can he not be mine?

Well, it all started at a recent football tournament in which he was playing in. It turns out that his talent for the game runs in the family and my boy is a great midfield player whom I am currently living my failed footballing career through, just another example of how similar we are.

Anyway, there we were at this tournament with three games played and a short lunch break before the next game. We found a nice shady place to eat lunch and discuss all the things he could look at improving in his game, but first, we had to eat.

So I dug into the bag and pulled out the special lunch that I had made for him. This was not just any lunch, it was the same magic lunch I used to have as a kid growing up playing football.

Marmite sandwiches. 

Perfectly packed with all the extra energy you need and with just the right amount of carbs to keep you going through the day scoring goals.

He hated it. 

Turns out he hates marmite. I mean who and what boy of mine could hate marmite?

Marmite sandwiches are the staple diet of any young footballing genius growing up in my time, it was for me. It’s what gave us the extra energy, the mental sharpness and the added boost down the wing to achieve greatness in our short-lived careers.

So to say I was a little disappointed and shocked that my boy would damage his footballing career because he hates marmite was an understatement.

It was this shocking news that leads me to think about an idea that I wish I had done. This idea was around this very topic of marmite and whether you are in the genetic pool of “lovers” or one of those that fall into that category of “haters”.

The Marmite Gene Project by DDB’s Adam & Eve was an extension to the already famous “Love it or Hate it” campaign for the world’s most loved or hated brand, Marmite. 

The idea is great and finally answers the question we have all been asking.

Are you born a lover or a hater?

What they did to finally answer this question was to partner with DNAFit. Together with a genetic scientist by the name of Thomas Roos they conducted a study of 250 random healthy adults to solve the mystery of one of the worlds most debated topics. The test involved the subjects DNA being extracted from saliva samples and the genetic analysis identified that single nucleotide polymorphisms, that is the gene that determines our taste preference for marmite. This gene determines how we react to marmite, how our taste buds interpret the unusual flavour and ultimately whether we will love it or hate it.

They launched this idea hilariously through film in which they showed people waiting in anticipation for their test results to come back.

What I love about this film is the moments they capture, the play on everyday scenarios and then they really had fun with it. There are moments where people find out they have been lied to by their mothers their entire life and they are in actual fact born a hater. To the ridiculously funny moment where a life long couple find out that their entire relationship is a sham as her partner prefers, wait for it, jam. 

Love it.

The film wasn’t the only thing they did. They took the campaign even further by creating DNA test kits for the public to order to really put their relationships to the test. All of this nicely designed and housed on a microsite which you can visit to find out more about the tests and ultimately read the very interesting white paper produced from the study.

Not only is this a great campaign but so on brand with playing the two sides against each other, even if they are your offspring or the love of your life.

Which brings me back to that moment under the tree with my boy.

He is a hater. I am a lover. 

But you know what, no matter what he hates I will always love him. Besides, he will never touch my marmite which means more for me. 

What’s not to love about that?

I Wish I Had Done That.

Gary