Why TBWA\London’s Jaffa Cake work has hit the sweet spot of effectiveness

For years Brits have clashed over whether the Jaffa Cake is a biscuit or a cake and earlier this month the McVitie's brand and its creative agency of record TBWA\London sought to end the debate. Put simply with a bold and unequivocal stance, Jaffa Cake proclaimed ‘We’re cake, you biscuit’ and that the ‘clue’s on the box’.

“Jaffa weren’t about to follow the familiar tropes of those brands who ask: ‘Are you a lover or a hater? A scruncher or a folder? Crisp in or crisp out?’ Jaffa’s aren’t playing anybody else’s game by asking consumers to decide. Jaffa know exactly what they are - they’re Jaffa cakes - nuff said,” explained Paul Jordan, executive creative director at TBWA\London.

The comedic campaign was brought to life through social and out-of-home (OOH) executions and the latter has received high praise for its long-term commercial effectiveness from marketing research platform System1.

Based on long-term brand-building potential, System1 ranks ads from 1.0 ‘stars’ to 5.9 ‘stars’. OOH executions ‘We’re a cake, you biscuit’ and ‘Clue’s on the box’ scored 5.0 and 4.9 respectively, while Global Street Art’s painted version of the campaign in Stockport achieved 4.7 stars.

These scores not only make the Jaffa Cakes campaign the highest scoring OOH campaign of all time for System1 with regards to long-term commercial effectiveness, but the work has also performed 44 per cent better than the average outdoor campaign.

OOH ads only attract an average of two seconds of attention and only 44 per cent brand recall within that time, 20 per cent less than UK TV campaigns. Tested in real-life contexts, Jaffa Cakes’ campaign achieved an exceptional 2-second brand recall of 88 per cent, double the norm for outdoor campaigns.

Why TBWA\London’s Jaffa Cake work has left a lasting impression

The campaign for the Pladis-owned brand is but one of many effective campaigns that TBWA\London has created for its clients. Like the successful brand platforms the creative agency has created for McVitie’s, Ginsters and Histallay, the Jaffa Cakes work contains TBWA\London’s signature blend of humour and disruptiveness that aims solely to capture a wider audience’s attention by being front and centre in people’s minds.

The agency prides itself in putting effective long-term brand platforms at the heart of its positioning. Larissa Vince, CEO of TBWA\London, recently told Creative Salon: “Clients often confuse platforms with endlines or ideas, and not all agencies distinguish them correctly. TBWA's disruption methodology focuses on creating platforms, leading to better ideas and diverse opportunities.”

Andy Jex, chief creative officer at TBWA\London believes the agency’s platforms “change businesses like campaigns can’t”. He adds: “They’re long-term, more sustainable and provide growth opportunities. But most importantly, they allow us to execute the very best work for the modern world.”

The platforms have proven to be successful in brand-building and engaging audiences with highly-distinctive assets, with the Jaffa Cakes campaign being a case in point.

Andrew Tindall, senior vice president of global partnerships at System1 said of the work: “This is a first-class example of how to build brand on one of the last standing truly broad-reach mediums, out of home. Playing off a long-standing idea that's come from the consumer in a simple, emotional and visual way is impressive."

Appealing to British people’s unique sense of humour is also something that TBWA\London holds close to its creative ethos as it believes it is key in appealing to Gen Z and families. The agency’s Ginsters ‘Taste the Effort’, McVitie’s ‘True Originals’ and Histallay ‘What a Relief’ platforms all tap into humour to cut through to the British public. This is what makes the Jaffa Cakes campaign stand out above the rest of OOH advertising.

Adam Woolf, marketing director at McVitie’s, believes the campaign is “particularly special” as it taps into Jaffa’s distinctive heritage of boldness and boundary-pushing, while staying true to its classic British humour roots. 

He adds: “We are delighted to see that the light-hearted nature of the campaign is bringing fun and enjoyment to people, with the provocative stance on the cake vs. biscuit debate.”

What more can a creative agency hope for than for a client confirming that the agency partner has “totally nailed” an idea? As Woolf says: “Jaffa Cakes have always been a unique treat that sparks joy and spirited discussions. But enough is enough. We’re putting an end to it here and now and TBWA\London’s disruptive idea has totally nailed this.”