LONDON, SEPT 07 ManiLife, the cult-favourite peanut butter brand has teamed up with Wonderful Things for their debut television commercial. The 30-second spot features a playful parody of the premium food genre including a seductive female VO in various states of ecstasy paired with lingering close-ups of ManiLife peanut butter in climactic scenarios before pulling out to reveal reality: a suburban kitchen and just really good peanut butter.
The TVC is accompanied by a pleasure-driven out-of-home campaign, carrying the same unadulterated indulgence from screen to street this September.
The work marks an evolution for the brand, dialling up their trademark humour to stand out in a category more often defined by earnest, wholesome messaging and bringing to life their brand line: ManiLife, Peanut Butter Like No Other.
Holly Rix, CMO of ManiLife, said: “For our first TVC, we didn’t want another boring, wholesome peanut butter ad. This is Peanut butter like no other – it’s a want, not a need. We wanted people to see this ad and just crave ManiLife the second they saw it, no justification required. Just pure, obvious desire for peanut butter this good.”
Grace Francis, Chief Creative Officer at Wonderful Things, added: “The brief to Wonderful Things was simple: give us unhinged indulgence. It felt natural to have fun with the codes of premium food advertising, and trust that ManiLife peanut butter is good enough to earn the joke. It’s great to work with a brand that wants to be playful with category expectations, even when they take peanut butter very seriously indeed”.
A collaborative project, the shoot included founder, Stu Macdonald, working onset with the food stylist team to show the powers of peanut butter on film, coupled with the joy of eating hot peanut butter.
Katy Collins, Chief Production Officer at Wonderful Things, added: “Doing justice to a script like this is as much about technique as it is about tone. We used the same rigs, lenses and lighting setups you’d normally see on a beauty or fragrance shoot, with the added challenge of manipulating the viscosity of peanut butter; the team applied as much physics as artistry”.
The TVC will roll out across broadcast and social channels, alongside OOH from September as part of ManiLife’s continued push to bring its distinctive brand voice to a wider audience.
