CB Exclusive: Woolworths brings back to life its iconic ‘Fresh Food People’ positioning with new campaign breaking tonight via Leo Burnett
CB Exclusive – Woolworths has brought back to life its iconic ‘Fresh Food People’ positioning with a new campaign launching tonight via Leo Burnett, Sydney that is both a nod to Woolworths’ proud history and a look to the future.
The campaign launches with a 90″ TVC that follows a cast of Woolies farmers, suppliers and staff as they prepare for the moment the stores’ doors swing open to bring the Woolworths fresh food show to customers across the country. The ad also brings back the unforgettable and much-loved “We’re Woolworths the Fresh Food People” jingle – originally created by Leo Burnett 27 years ago – this time featuring the voice of Australian musician Nathan Cavaleri.
The campaign – the first since Leo Burnett won the Woolies business from Droga5 back in March – premieres tonight with the 90″ spot airing during Channel 7’s X Factor and runs on free-to-air and paid TV, with 60″ and 30″ iterations from tomorrow.
The integrated campaign will span print, online, radio, street and transit media right through to October with online 30″ pre-rolls running on YouTube.
Says Woolworths chief marketing officer, Tony Phillips: “The campaign captures the very essence of what makes Woolworths great and unique. It tells the story of our legacy as the Fresh Food People for more than a quarter of a century, and the people who make it possible, the suppliers, growers and staff who bring fresh, contemporary produce to millions of customers every day.
“Make no mistake, the history of Woolworths is the Fresh Food People and we have embraced the huge opportunity to bring it back. I believe that we have created a moment in time that people will reflect upon, and I am honoured to be part of it.”
Says Todd Sampson, CEO Leo Burnett Australia: “It was Leo Burnett that created the original ‘Fresh Food People’ campaign 27 years ago and we’re very proud of that. This new campaign is only the first step in our multi-pronged strategy for Woolworths. It’s an important one as it lays the foundation for what’s to come. But it’s what Woolworths will build on that foundation that’s really exciting.”
Adds Andy DiLallo, chief creative officer, Leo Burnet Sydney: “This campaign takes a positioning that has struck a chord with Australians for nearly three decades to a new level. We have retained the heritage, but we have also made it fresh and relevant for a world of new and changing tastes and expectations, just like Woolworths does. The ad tells a beautiful story, celebrating the journey of the freshest products and the immense pride of all the people who make it possible for Woolworths’ customers to enjoy them.”
Agency: Leo Burnett, Sydney
Chief Creative Officer – Andy DiLallo
Managing Director – Peter Bosilkovski
Group Account Director – Suzie Baker
Business Director – Tanya Green
Creative Director – Scott Hignett
Copywriter – Sharon Edmondston
Art Director – Misha McDonald
Creative Director – Joe Van Trump
Planning Director – Caroline Ghatt
Executive Broadcast Producer – Bill Doig
Director – Jonathan Nyquist
Producer Rapid Films – Alex Tizzard
Music Production – SongZu
Production Company: Rapid Films
Client: Woolworths Limited
Chief Marketing Officer: Tony Phillips
Head of Brand Communications: Anna Lohe
Brand Communications Manager: Jane Willersdorf Brand Manager Own Brand: Amanda Nakad Assistant Brand Communications Manager: Jenna Hockey
PR Agency: One Green Bean Media Agency: Carat
62 Comments
Bit awkward
That’s it, take the money Burnetts, take the money because there’s not an ounce of integrity in this. And just when you think it couldn’t get any cheaper, it ends on Jamie Oliver telling us ‘you can’t get fresher than that’.
You’re all lost.
And a certain production company miraculously gets the gig – HAAAAAA
This is just getting better and better.
Dated ,tired and dull. Seriously can’t believe they’d want to PR this, the lyrics creak and it looks like a mood tape.
“We’re Leo’s the once smart agency,
with stale ideas for you…”
Even Jamie looks embarrassed to be there
Relax guys, it’s not meant to be an award-winning Bundy or Canon campaign, it’s a solid, well branded relaunch of Woolies, bringing back a brilliant positioning that should never have been dropped in the first place. Coles should be worried.
First line of this hideously dated ad is ‘fresh thinking’ …the client must be wishing thats what he’d got. It’s like a bad Maccas ad from the 80’s.
i actually really like it! nice work leo burnett.
@Fresh Food fan when it was launched 27 years ago it was a modern, new, and competitive position. Now it is old, uncompetitive, stale, and a joke to say that Woolworths fresh offer is anything other than sad and limp. If that is the best their agency can do then their search for a decent one is clearly not over.
Haters are gonna hate and shoppers are gonna shop at Woolies.
It’s so damn awkward because it’s forcibly trying to rekindle the old song and Australians montage.
Surprised Rolf Harris isn’t singing the tune.
Ad people will hate it because it doesn’t fit into their alternative lifestyle.
Mainstream public will love the shit out of it.
Droga are loving this!
So, Leo’s interviewed every creative in Sydney and ended up with this? What were you looking for? Completely average? you got it.
That music track is truly terrible.
@TheGame No truer words have been spoken.
That’s a relief….
A truly toe-curling moment.
Did Mojo do this?
You are such a dick…who dropped the positioning? it went from “The Fresh food people” to “Australia’s fresh food people” and now back to “The fresh food people”. There is no difference you twat.
the jingle is back.. and the punters will love it..
Fresh poo sauce.
This campaign was intergrated into a story on Channel 9 news about how we consume – miracle of miracles the new brand ad gets launched moments later – they must think consumers are stupid.
HA, Which Droga people? Are there any left? You can bet Woolies are loving this.
nice one. Made me feel good.
At the end of the day Todd and Andy would have discussed this direction and they both obviously approved it.
Nothing to do with Leo’s work, Client get the advertising they deserve. We are all been there.
@The Game ‘haters are gonna hate?’ fuck me that is so original. And on a creative site too. Where were we before such original and erudite posts came along?
The irony of this campaign is that it obviously took a lot of battles; presentations; discussions and heart-ache to get made/produced/”out the door” (well done for doing so) but if you put a gun to a stranger’s head and told them they had 2 minutes to write a Woollies brand ad, you’d get the same spot.
This ad could have been made in the 80s. Cringingly terrible lyrics and boringly shot. Droga work wasn’t earth shattering but it was miles better than this. But as someone has already said, the client gets the work they deserve. Problem is, I hate the Coles work and now it actually seems better than this.
Literally one hour after seeing this, I took a bite out of an apple I had bought at Woolies and found there was a small animal living inside there, half of which is now in my stomach.
That could have been about 1min 25sec shorter.
Listen to all you little moaners! Waaaah waah!
Get back to work and create something yourselves!
Woolies just killed the down down!!
Thanks to all from woolies and Leos for the nice comments.
I like it. A lot.
Theres a lot of angry people here.
Shhhhhhhhhhh. Its going to be OK.
Oh dear.What have you done?
‘Take a step to the left..take a step to the riiiiight…let’s do the Time Warp again!’
Someone’s been looking at George Muskens history reel…
Number 1 driver of customers to supermarkets – Freshness.
Number 2 driver of customers to supermarkets – Price.
The top 2 retailers do not differentiate on freshness and price by accident.
The fact you do not like the campaign means you do not understand the category. And probably buy all your meals from Bucket List anyway.
Surely the point of a jingle-ad is that it the jingle is memorable?
Hopefully they will be kind about it on the Gruen Transfer.
If you think consumers don’t realise that Woolies keeps all their “fresh” food in freezers for weeks or months before it sees the store shelf, then you don’t understand the category or the consumer. If you also think the consumer doesn’t realise Woolies are the greatest threat to the very farmers, fishermen, and other Australian producers, they feature in their ads, then you are doubly wrong.
Stop kidding yourself. Try Aldi instead.
http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lat4jxUjwK1qa0ideo1_500.gif
Sorry Howdog but you are wrong.
I have been running research for supermarkets for years and I hate to disappoint you but th primary driver is neither of those put forward by you in a particularly patronising and arrogant manner.
The main driver is good old fashioned convenience.
The second is ease of car parking
As much as both supermarkets would love to believe that consumers would drive by one to get to another it just ain’t true.I’ve moderated groups for both the big supermarkets and people see very little difference in price or freshness.
Fact.
Given Coles and Woolworths enjoy 60% of the market between them, and Aldi only has 7%, I would say that consumers aren’t really too fussed Woolies are the greatest threat to the very farmers, fishermen, and other Australian producers, they feature in their ads.
I actually wrote this music in 1987 and it’s registered with APRA accordingly. Would have been nice for someone to contact me re this.
Most of the negative comments here are simply juvenile. For a start, WW’s and Coles hardly freeze any of their fresh fruit and veg. Apples occasionally due to seasonal issues – but thats about it. ‘Dear Howdog’ might be interested to learn that fruit and veg in the major supermarkets is generally fresher than your local greengrocer simply due to speed of distribution and temperature controls in-store. [In other words, distribution is direct as opposed to via wholesalers and, unlike most local greengrocers, supermarkets don’t throw a cover over their fruit and veg at night in non-airconditioned shops]. And if ‘Dear Howdog’ has been reading the press of late, he would have seen milk producers praising the $1 per 1 litre price charged by supermarkets. [But we wouldn’t want truth getting in the way of a good story would we?]. And who are these people who are so offended by WW’s and their advertising? Mostly, a bunch of pimply-faced creatives who’ll most likely be working in another industry by the time they’re 40 because ‘those fuck-wit clients’ kept on knocking back their genius ideas.
This is Woolies getting what they want and frankly all that they deserve
Who is the checkout chick?
Like it or not and most dont.
Woolies is back on track.
My grandfather tells me it wasn’t liked by the ad community when it first launched last
century.
This ad makes woolies seem normal and coles look like a bunch of crack heads.
@Grow up
Finally, someone with some intelligence weighing in on a schoolboy forum.
Refreshing.
Why is everyone white? This ad really is from the 80s.
If this is the work they do on the tough clients, no wonder they go fishing for other clients in other markets like coke.
Might want to prioritise
Everyone looks like they belong in a cult. A cult for white people who overact.
At 52secs there is a woolworths woman holding up a tomato and talking and grinning to nobody.
Nice to see the production company get a job from Leo’s though. Hopefully they hit it off so we can see more collaborations from them.
So many comments over something that is not worth commenting on.
Good retail can be done.. This is not.
I just went to watch through to see all the ‘white faces’ but saw so many ethic faces.. are you blind?? do you just ‘see’ white?
Thanks for making our market share that much larger Woolies
Seriously? We are that angry about this ad? Why does it REALLY bother us so much? Isn’t it just another big bright cheesy ad that probably turned out exactly how they wanted for a gigantic client who dont give two shits about advertising wankers, just the 99.99% of Australians who are gonna love it? If we hate it this much then maybe…? Pretend to be Middle Australia (like you used to be) …normal, and actually watch the Droga launch ad… great ad…for ad people but a WTF ad for anyone else. Then watch the new ad again imagining your watching in your pool room after having rissoles and mash for tea. Wouldn’t all Woolies want is to beat Coles at their own cheesy game, have Average Joe hum that terrible jingle and sell bananas!! If we don’t get that then we should focus our bitterness back into writing that dark short screenplay that noone will see and noone will ever care about.
There are numerous people on here saying how much they ‘like’ the campaign.
But that’s like watching Star Wars for the 25th time and remarking, “Wow, that was a good movie!” as if you’d never seen it before in your life.
There is exactly nothing new about this ad. It’s the same jingle, it’s the same sweeping shots of banana fields, it’s the same good looking, friendly staff members who can’t wait to serve you. (Most of the staff in my Woolies look like they can’t wait to clock off, but that’s by the by.) It’s all the same.
That’s not necessarily a criticism, it’s just a statement of fact.
So saying you ‘like’ it is like having a bizarre form of amnesia where you forget everything you’ve ever experienced and awaken daily wide-eyed with joy and expectation at seeing the same things you saw before, as if for the first time. Like Memento, but not as cool.
And the idea that “punters will love it”… makes no sense. The punters have seen this ad in some form or other for 25 years. They won’t love it and they won’t hate it. (Well, they might hate that tool who yells out “It’s showtime!” like a member of the Wiggles. That really is bad.)
The public will be indifferent to it, but it will serve a particular commercial purpose, namely to remind them that Woolies are “the fresh food people”, and the jingle will stick in their head, they’ll remember the truck driving by… it will reinforce the brand and its various assets (green/trucks/staff/fresh/bananas/jamie) in a solid, bland kind of a way.
There’s nothing new, so there’s nothing to like or dislike. I don’t think anyone could possibly claim this is a ‘new’ campaign, unless they’re actually, clinically delusional. I think we could go through the entire production frame by frame and construct it from previous Woolies ads over the past 25 years. Then add in our Wiggles friend and Jamie Oliver at the end and we’re done.
And as for Droga going on about how they did it better, wasn’t it just this with Medieval jousting helmets? Which made no sense, but was vaguely interesting to look at. We really are up our own arses sometimes.
Some of you guys are so cynical if you new anything about branding you should know that a single line is the essence of what customers resonate with. I think Woolworth has done a fantastic job in bringing back what it is known best for. I don’t see the competition having anything like that.