Continental is tapping into Gen Z snack culture with the launch of Cup A Pasta, backed by a socially charged, digitally led campaign from Thinkerbell in partnership with Hogarth and Mindshare.
Australia’s first instant pasta, the work introduces Cup A Pasta as a fast, flavour-packed fix. No microwave required. Just add boiling water, stir, and wait – you have a tasty fix in six.
The work is a fever dream for the tastebuds, with the edit featuring a mouth singing “yes” to Cup A Pasta in a kaleidoscopic world ruled by ingredients. Think jalapeños in fishnet stockings and gyrating cheese cubes. Each ingredient and element was shot individually, then brought together to create a dynamic and delicious universe. To accompany the visuals, a bespoke, bass-heavy original track was created with lyrics explaining how the product works.
In social, Hogarth and Mindshare have extended the campaign with the flavours coming to life as mouth personalities through creators, using TikTok VR filters and effects. Then in gaming, Cup A Pasta is celebrated as the ultimate in-game snack across a range of titles including Fortnite, Rocket League, Minecraft and more. This content strategy also includes two-hour YouTube livestreams featuring top gaming influencers, pushed across their social channels and extended into key retail OOH placements.
Both the social and gaming integrations are local firsts for Unilever, enabling creators, influencers and Australians to engage in an ongoing, dynamic way.
“Continental has a long history of developing delicious snacks that generations love. Cup A Pasta is our first snacking launch, reflecting a new future for the brand; appealing to a new generation of snackers with bold flavour and visuals to match. Cup A Pasta demonstrates that flavour can be quick and fun, and Thinkerbell, Hogarth and Mindshare captured that energy perfectly,” said Annie Lucchitti, continental marketing and category management lead – foods.
“Cup A Pasta meets a clear consumer need: big flavour, minimal time investment. We developed work that mirrored this, bite-sized, high-impact creative built for attention-poor environments. This is the first expression of a broader repositioning for iconic Australian brand Continental, brought to life through the strategic platform ‘Mouth Says Yes’,” said Phillippa Netolicky, general manager at Thinkerbell.
“We’re so excited to be partnering with Continental on the launch of ‘Cup A Pasta’, as the brand looks to engage the emerging Gen Z audience through exciting and evolving media channels,” Mindshare connections planning associate director, Sam Clarke said.
Live across BVOD, digital, in-store and social, this campaign is the latest iteration of Unilever’s newly established Agency Pod: Thinkerbell, Hogarth and Mindshare.
Credits
Creative agency: Thinkerbell Client: Unilever
Media: Mindshare
Production & Social: Hogarth
Artist: Giulia Giannini McGauran
Agent: Jackie Winter Group
Music: Otis
