Paddle Pop lets rips with brand relaunch Rosemary Ryan
As two agencies battle it out for its ad account, Unilever’s ice cream division is to unleash a farting hyena as the star of its new TVC.
Streets is using the TVC, which features the Paddle Pop Lion, to relaunch its Paddle Pop brand targeted at kids.
The new TVC from Streets incumbent agency McCann Erickson launches this weekend and features a new look for the brand’s iconic spokesman, the Paddle Pop Lion, as part of a strategy to ensure the brand retains its relevance with its fickle target market.
It comes as McCann prepares to pitch against fellow short-listed agency Nitro on the Streets account. Both are presenting next week.Streets Ice Cream general manager market and development David McNeil said recent consumer research by Streets identified an opportunity for the $70m Paddle Pop brand to “reassert” itself in the minds of Australian children and keep it ahead of key rivals Nestle Billabong and Cadbury Yowie.
“Today's kids are an incredibly fickle target audience,” McNeil said.
“They are increasingly sophisticated in their evaluation of brands and brand communication, creating a challenging task for marketers.
“Kids brands such as Streets Paddle Pop need to make sure they stay in touch with the kids of today, or else risk being left behind as kids are bombarded by newer and more exciting offerings.
The new ad features a more contemporary looking Paddle Pop Lion in a claymation style replacing the traditional cartoon. It also introduces a new side kick—a hyena called Happy who triggers a massive avalanche with a fart. They are both save by the lion’s traditional quick thinking ability as he extreme snowboards down a mountain and in to first place position of a competition.
The million campaign kicks off on Sunday and will run through the peak ice cream season through Novemner and December.
