Winning team (left to right): Adam & Eve/DDB’s creative directors Mark Lewis and Matt Fitch with copywriter Michael Burke
Quorn’s first foray into radio has been voted 2023’s Audio Ad of the Year.
In “Deli”, which features a rich mix of voiceovers, everyday sounds and music, Perry T. Pig from the brand’s TV campaign taunts a man eating a Quorn-filled sandwich. “I wouldn’t bother wondering what the alternative might be,” he tells him.
The judges praised the ad particularly for its humour and sound design and for how close it gets to mentioning the meat that the vegan protein is an alternative to, without actually mentioning meat directly.
“This was Quorn’s first ever radio ad, so a bit of an experiment,” admits Catherine Willoughby, senior planner at Adam & Eve/DDB. “We were testing out the medium while using it as proof of concept that our new platform (‘So Tasty, Why Choose the Alternative?’, which first launched on VOD and social) had legs to stretch beyond its original execution.”
There was huge excitement around this new platform for Quorn, according to A&E/DDB creative directors Mark Lewis and Matt Fitch. And radio offered one exciting way to expand it.
“Radio provides a great place to have fun, develop an idea and reach a mass audience, so we were so excited when this brief came through,” says Lewis.
“Audio allows you to do anything you want without having to build a set or hire a camera crew,” Fitch adds. “The limitations are liberating. And it’s very rewarding to get in the studio for a few hours and come out with a finished piece of work.”
Though the brief was simple, it was not without its challenges.
“We needed to let people know that Quorn Deli slices taste as good, if not better, than real ham. But the complications came from the fact that we didn’t have the necessary sample size from research to state this in our comms,” Lewis explains.
The solution was to make the problem a virtue by making a point of not mentioning ham.
“We also needed an idea that made use of our new Perry T. Pig character but didn’t rely on listeners seeing him or even knowing who he was,” Fitch continues. “It was a tricky balancing act that Michael (Burke), our copywriter, nailed.”
Once the script was approved, all that was needed was to make it as funny and compelling as possible.
And this was very much a joint affair, Lewis reveals. “Our relationship with Quorn is great – they trust us, and we trust them,” he notes, so “getting the right creative solution is very much a collaboration.”
To bring the idea to life, the team then turned to Factory Studios.
“Factory are long-time friends and partners who helped shape the sound design of the TVC,” says Fitch. “So, working with them on the radio elements was a natural decision.”
Having both voiceovers in the booth simultaneously really brought out their characters and helped tie in the humorous backdrop of a bustling deli’s lunchtime rush, Factory sound engineer Jack Hallett says of the process.
There is much to be proud of in the end result, the whole team believes. And when it comes to their favourite element, both creative directors cite voice actor Colin McFarlane’s voice. “We’d listen to him read anything,” Lewis confides.
Willoughby offers a different take. “(Mine is) how after initially thinking we couldn’t replicate the self-aware comedy rug pull in the TV ad, which relies on seeing the pig puppet talking, we managed to do it in a uniquely radio way,” she says.
“There’s no other medium where you can activate people’s imaginations in quite the same way.”
The Audio Ad of the Year Award was created by Radiocentre and Campaign to celebrate creativity in audio advertising and champion the teams behind winning work.
Rustler’s “Pub” by Droga5 was the inaugural winner in 2022.
Winning ad
Quorn – “Deli” – Adam & Eve/DDB
Creative directors: Mark Lewis and Matt Fitch
Creative: Michael Burke
Producer: Anna-Louise Vass
Facility house: Factory Studios
Sound Engineer: Jack Hallett
Also shortlisted:
Cadbury – “There’s a glass and a half in everyone (tortoise)” – VCCP
Smarty – “Ready to pair” – The Gate
For more on audio creative best practice, visit Radiocentre.org.