Swimming Against the Sea of Same, Deliveroo’s ‘Octoman’ Wins Through

A surfer dude with the body of an octopus is on a date with a woman on a deserted island. The evening is punctuated by well-timed deliveries of food, groceries and even flowers. It’s a singular scene set by Deliveroo’s end-of-2024 campaign – one now recognised by Kantar with its Creative Effectiveness Award for TV.

Kantar’s annual Creative Effectiveness Awards celebrate the most impactful ads of the year, showcasing the latest creative strategies brands are using to engage consumers – all tested using its AI-powered LINK AI solution.

Created by Pablo, in collaboration with Deliveroo’s in-house Research and Insights teams, the 30-second ‘Octoman’ spot aired in multiple markets, promoting the online delivery firm’s ‘Now Just Got Even Better’ brand platform.

In the TV category, it beat KitKat’s ‘Break Better’ campaign from VML UK and Volkswagen’s ‘YourWagen’ spots by VML UK and adam&eveDDB, respectively.

Sophie Laghzaoui, global brand director at Deliveroo., says: “The asset features in our latest campaign under our ‘Now Just Got Even Better’ platform, and it’s a brilliant example of what can happen when you put the customer at the heart of creative development.

“This campaign was the result of true collaboration – between Pablo, Initiative and our brilliant internal teams – driven by bold ambition, integrated planning and channel-first thinking, all built to deliver real impact with our consumers. We’re beyond proud to see that approach recognised in such a meaningful way,” she adds.

Behind the weird

‘Octoman’ followed the launch of Deliveroo’s global platform, inspired by insights from the UK, France and UAE markets, built on the notion that Deliveroo can enhance any moment – even great ones. It also marked a push to promote Deliveroo’s expansion beyond food and groceries into retail, as more major retailers joined the app.

Whether it’s dinner with family, cooking at home, weekend DIY, or a spot of self-care, Deliveroo is positioned to help users enhance the moment – in the moment – by bringing the neighbourhood to their door.

With that focus, ‘Octoman’ aims to show that everyday relatable moments can be made even better with Deliveroo, pairing the message with a surreal, humorous visual world, larger-than-life characters and a familiar soundtrack – the Mariah Carey hit ‘Fantasy’ – to help drive memorability.

Gareth Mercer, founder of Pablo London, explains the core ethos of his agency's work: "As a brand, you want to be remembered and hopefully remembered fondly. At Pablo, we believe the way to do this is to surprise people. Surrealism can be a great way to be surprising. When you combine it with the logic of an idea, it makes for more engaging work."

During creative development, a range of styles was tested before the team landed on humorous surrealism as the route to entertain and stand out, reveals Laghzaoui. A variety of mythical sea creatures were considered before Octoman got the nod – chosen to represent the range of services now offered by Deliveroo.

“We took an integrated approach to developing the campaign, with close collaboration between Deliveroo’s internal teams and our agency partners – media (Initiative) and creative (Pablo London),” she says.

“We also took a cross-vertical approach throughout the campaign – including the Octoman TVC – to demonstrate how we can genuinely enhance any moment through the breadth of food and retail options available on the app. Our TV plan across markets included strategic sequencing, using focused 10-second spots to highlight different messages and services, supporting the master brand asset at the most relevant times,” Laghzaoui adds.

The campaign also saw increased investment in subscription video-on-demand services, including placements on Netflix and Amazon Prime, to align with evolving audience consumption habits. The Amazon strategy included high-profile slots during key moments – such as Champions League coverage – to ensure maximum relevance and cut-through.

Pablo has, in recent years, become something of a specialist in crafting bizarre, standout creative. It’s a deliberate strategy that’s now well-refined through its creative council – resulting in memorable work for GiffGaff, HMRC, Dr Pepper and Wilkinson Sword.

“This year, as we reviewed hundreds of our highest-scoring ads, one theme stood out: many leaned into the bizarre and surreal. Deliveroo’s ‘Octoman’ is the standout example,” says Věra Šídlová, global creative thought leadership director at Kantar.

“On the face of it, a half-man, half-octopus on a date might seem a random choice – but it’s doing more than grabbing attention. At its core, the ad is showing how a moment can be made that much better with Deliveroo. Trying to impress a date is a universal scenario, and the spot cleverly links that moment with how Deliveroo can make life’s everyday moments just that bit easier,” she continues.

To see the full list of award winners in each category, visit the Kantar Creative Effectiveness Awards site.