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Refreshing or revolting? L&P and DDB launch a very different campaign

L&P has taken an interesting step with its latest campaign by DDB. Titled ‘The Best Day Ever’, the new campaign promotes itself as being ‘refreshingly different’, yet in some ways, it falls more into the refreshingly disgusting category. 

We set the scene in a zombie run dystopia. Society as we know it has crumbled and all that remains are aggressive zombies and the L&P production facility in Paeroa (good to know L&P will live on in a zombie apocalypse). Our two Zombie homies are having the best day ever, finishing it off with a poolside refreshing lemon-based beverage.

Created by DDB alongside L&P, the spot is a ‘Refreshingly Different’ take on L&P’s normal advertising. ‘The Best Day Ever’ shows even the undead can break from the norm (of just being alive) and have a great time, inspiring punters to strive for a life of freedom and dismantled capitalism. Maybe we’re thinking too much into it.  

Damon Stapleton, regional chief creative officer DDB New Zealand and Australia, says the beauty of the ‘Refreshingly Different’ brand platform is its ability to revisit well-trod paths in new ways, in this case injecting genuine, simple humour into the classic zombie genre with all its tropes and quirks attached.

“Zombies are brilliantly fun to play with. L&P wanted to continue on from the success of ‘On the Lamb‘, with that great tale of friendship, by bringing that same feeling with zombies – I think we succeeded in that. Each activity these zombie mates get up to is something we can relate to and laugh at,” Stapleton says.

Laura Knight, marketing manager for L&P, says they wanted to highlight the way this brand does things a little differently. Kiwis have built up high expectations for L&P ads over the years and the team were conscious of living up to that.

“We wanted an attention-grabbing campaign that celebrates our position as an iconic brand with iconic ads, by putting a new spin on our long term Refreshingly Different platform. Our two zombie friends are certainly different and having the time of their lives,” Knight says.

It’s an interesting move from the brand, branching out from the heritage ads that put them on our radar. The ‘World-famous since ages ago’ campaigns are classic, and instantly recognisable, so diverting from that to introduce a zombie-themed bromance was not expected. 

Ads such as a summer by the pool and a closer look at a Kiwi’s love of stubbies bring back nostalgic memories for a lot of us. 

At the end of the day, ads don’t always have to be an emotional rollercoaster with huge plot lines and twists rivalling Inception. Sometimes they can just be a humorous experiment with loose brand association. 

Did this spot make me want a crisp L&P? No, zombies remind me of flesh and rot. But do I appreciate the effort and bravery of the new spot? Yes, it’s an interesting take for a classic brand which can often get stuck in legacy ways. DDB has really helped the brand stick out in a fun way unseen from a lot of our beverage labels.  

Credits:

Client credits: Lemon & Paeroa​
General Manager Strategy & Brand: Wendy Rayner​
Head of Marketing and Design: Angela Broad
Marketing Manager: Laura Knight
Agency credits: DDB New Zealand
Regional Chief Creative Officer, NZ/AU: Damon Stapleton
Executive Creative Director: Gary Steele
Creative Director: Rory McKechnie​
Senior Art Director: Zac Lancaster
Art Director: Sarsha Drakeford
Copywriter: Sylvia Humphries​
Managing Partner: Nikki McKelvie​
Senior Business Director: Crystal Clark
Executive Planning Director: Lucinda Sherborne​
Business Manager: Violet Hong
Business Manager: Ravina Raju​
Executive Agency Producer: Judy Thompson
Agency Producer: Samantha Royal

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