The Sauce - 22/11/23

This is for you marketers.

‘The Sauce’ newsletter is your weekly dollop of marketing news.

This week we are bringing you Jaffa Cakes’ new ad, an ecommerce update from Meta, and of course the latest release of Christmas ads!

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Jaffa Cakes Eclipse the Competition

Turn around… the latest Jaffa Cakes campaign features the icon that is Bonnie Tyler!

Re-visiting the brand’s famous ‘Full Moon, Half Moon, Total Eclipse’ TV ad from the late 90s, the latest iteration shows Tyler explaining eclipses and singing snippets of her classic tune ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’, as well as featuring a remix of her timeless track.

For those who don’t remember the original (or are too young to have seen it), it shows a school teacher demonstrating eclipses to a class of young children via the medium of eating Jaffa Cakes! Check it out on YouTube if you haven’t seen it.

You can see the new ad on Jaffa Cakes’ social media channels where it’s received a lot of love from fans of the original. We’re loving it in the Awesomesauce office too – we’re showing our ages now…

Ashleigh Morris, Content and Communications Lead at Awesomesauce Marketing, said, “Not many ads stay front of mind months never mind decades later. Being able to create a new take on an ad that’s over 20 years old demonstrates the strength of the brand and the original ad campaign. Because the original ad was so memorable this really works, and creates a sense of nostalgia for those who remember the 90s version.”

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Meta and Amazon Partnership Enables In-App Social Media Purchases

Global tech giants Meta and Amazon have joined forces in a move set to make it even easier to part with your cash!

A recent update enables Facebook and Instagram users in the US to link their profiles to their Amazon account and shop directly from the social media sites.

Customers will be able to purchase items from Amazon’s Facebook and Instagram ads and check out with their Amazon payment and shipping details without having to leave the social media apps.

The move looks set to make things easier for customers as well as potentially increasing revenue for Meta and Amazon by removing barriers to purchase and streamlining the customer journey.

James Keith, Account and Strategy Director at Awesomesauce Marketing, said, “This is a great example of a company prioritising users’ needs, and making it easier for them to purchase. This could have a huge impact on purchases and reduce the risk of people leaving the app and abandoning a potential purchase.

“Ideas like this aren’t limited to global organisations – SMEs can also look at how they can incorporate technology into their strategy. It will be interesting to see how other businesses adapt and put the customer’s needs first to improve their customer experience and grow revenue.”

Would you buy items direct through Facebook or Instagram?

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Fancy a KFT for Christmas? ?

Amongst the latest drop of Christmas ads is that from KFC.

It starts as a typical Christmas ad – there’s snow outside, nostalgic Christmas music, a chef whipping up Christmas dinner…

As the intensity increases (think fat bubbling in a pan, bread warming in the oven, salad being chopped, cranberry sauce being spread – hungry yet?) social media posts start to pop up on the screen….

“KFC should have Turkey on the menu for #Christmas”

“Start selling Kentucky Fried Turkey”

“Why don’t you do KFT at Christmas?”

“We saw you”, claims the ad…” We heard you”, it continues, suspense building. “And we ignored you”, it mocks as the music reaches a crescendo. “We’re sticking with chicken.”

It then introduces the ‘Stuffing Stacker’, a (you guessed it) chicken burger that’s available over the festive period.

Now hang on a second… aren’t we always saying that the customer comes first?

Well yes, but not always. Earlier this year KFC listened to customer feedback on their fries and relaunched them with a new recipe. But not this time – KFC know their market. They know their customer. They understand the market and their unique brand proposition – and it’s chicken!

The ad is clever in that it builds to a big moment but not the moment the viewer is expecting. And, yes, it does demonstrate that KFC have listened to their customers – after years of requests they’ve read the comments, they’ve taken them on board, but they understand that what makes them unique is chicken and they’re sticking with that!

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A John Lewis Christmas ?

It’s what we were all waiting for… the big one. John Lewis has launched their 2023 Christmas advert.

This year’s ad features Snapper the Venus Flytrap, a plant advertised as a fast growing Christmas tree which grabs the attention of a young boy. But it turns out to be a house-destroying Venus Flytrap which is quickly banished to the garden and replaced by a traditional Christmas tree.

Cue sad child and sad Snapper… the boy takes one of his Christmas presents out to the garden and his family quickly follow suit. The ad finishes with a happy family and happy Snapper who chews up the wrapping paper and turns it into confetti, then the line “Let your traditions grow”.

In so many ways it ticks the boxes of a typical John Lewis ad – pulls on the heartstrings, emotional music, adorable child – but does it hit the mark?

We love that the ad encourages people to make their own traditions and challenges the idea of the nuclear family, but we can’t see it being a favourite like some of John Lewis’ past Christmas ads. Who can forget Monty the Penguin and Moz the Monster?

Opinion was split on social media too from “I honestly don’t know what’s happened to your Christmas ads. They’re not magical anymore” to “Love the music, the little nod to being a family that isn’t the typical stereotype of mum and dad” and “I loved it! Definitely a first for me getting emotional about a Venus fly trap”.

Do you like the new John Lewis ad or do you think they’ve missed the mark after setting the bar so high with previous ads?

We’re sure Snapper will find his forever home this Christmas – you can snap up your own at John Lewis now.

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Same time next week? Be on the lookout for the latest dollop of marketing news.

Want to find out more about what we do and how we can help your business??

Contact our Account & Strategy Director James Keith on LinkedIn or email [email protected].