Dive Brief:
- Unilever's Marmite kicked off a campaign, "Mind Control," that aims to challenge consumers that think they hate the yeast extract spread, according to Little Black Book. Created with agency adam & eveDDB, the U.K.-focused effort centers around a tongue-and-cheek video about using hypnotherapy to turn Marmite haters into lovers and includes a dedicated "Mind Control" page on the brand's website.
- Self-described Marmite haters can test if their animosity is genuine by entering an online quiz contest. The questionnaire collects names, addresses and email information and asks respondents to identify the scent of the spread through a dropdown of negative responses such as, "I'd rather eat wasps" or "It smells like a baby's nappy."
- Winners will receive a trip to London for a live screening of a hypnosis film to see if they can be influenced into liking the spread. The website also features a digital mind control option for people looking to be remotely entranced. Converts are encouraged to share their newfound love on social media with the hashtag #marmitemindcontrol.
Dive Insight:
With new "Mind Control" creative, Marmite is embracing surveys that show half of consumers claim to hate its products. By leaning into the sticky spread's divisive qualities — Marmite is known for its salty, yeasty flavor and sticky texture — the brand might generate online debate and even win new converts interested in seeing if their opinions can be flipped. The questionnaire ad is also a way to acquire more data that could potentially be used for targeting promotions at customers.
Haters become Lovers
— Marmite (@marmite) October 5, 2019
Apply for #MarmiteMindControl today.https://t.co/NLPocpVj1S
T&C: https://t.co/Hl2YOPyVi7 18+ UK/ROI 5 Winners End 31/10 pic.twitter.com/56IcP6qrAp
The campaign was partially inspired by research that shows 89% of consumers in the U.K. eat the same breakfast every week, per Little Black Book. The findings revealed that nearly 39% of respondents worry about consuming too much sugar in their breakfast, allowing Marmite to position its product as a healthier alternative to competitor spreads like Nutella.
Marmite has frequently had fun with the idea that its paste is controversial, courting both ardent fans and avowed detractors. A campaign from the Unilever brand two years ago set up a facial recognition website that read people's reactions to eating Marmite and measured whether they expressed love or revulsion on a scale of zero to 100.
Other brands have pursued the approach of poking fun at haters in order to amplify discussions online and push controversial offerings. IHOP earlier this year resurrected a controversial name change to "IHOb" — the b representing new burger menu items — and targeted ads at people who expressed their dissatisfaction for the initial 2018 promotion on social media. Vita Coco also recently launched a new coconut water beverage and dared some of the harshest online critics to dislike the new drink.
