This Rescue Ad Was Tone Deaf

Hello, Creative Souls.

There’s something magical that happens when a brand borrows another category’s playbook and plays it straight.

What’s tired in one space suddenly feels fresh in another.
A car ad styled like a fashion film. A bank ad shot like an action trailer.
And in this case?
A kitchen cupboard spread treated like a heartbreaking animal rescue story. Don’t believe us? Watch the video below:

Campaign: Marmite — “End Marmite Neglect” (2013)

Client: Marmite
Agency: Adam&Eve DDB

The Idea

Marmite didn’t just want to remind you of its existence.
It wanted to make you feel bad for forgetting it.

So they went all in.
They borrowed the structure, tone, and emotional weight of animal rescue documentaries.

• Neglected Marmite jars “discovered” in dark corners of pantries.

• Concerned inspectors breaking bad news to ashamed families.

• Dramatic rehoming ceremonies, complete with hugs and hopeful music.

What should’ve been silly felt briefly like it mattered.
Because the parody was played completely straight. And that’s why it worked.

Why It Landed

1️⃣ It borrowed a format we already care about.
Animal rescue ads tap something deep: empathy, guilt, hope.
Marmite hijacked that feeling and applied it to something as trivial as a spread. The dissonance made it unforgettable.

2️⃣ It stayed committed to the bit.
There was no wink at the camera. No halfway measures.
The campaign didn’t parody animal rescue—it became an animal rescue, for Marmite jars.

3️⃣ It reinforced the brand’s positioning.
Love it or hate it, Marmite is never boring.
The ad didn’t just entertain—it deepened the emotional extremes the brand is famous for.

4️⃣ It was built for sharing.
It was funny enough to pass around. But it also had a weird heart to it. That combination is social media gold.

What You Can Learn

• If you borrow another category’s style, commit fully.
  Halfway parody doesn’t register. Full send does.

• Cross-pollination = surprise.
  When your audience thinks they’re seeing one thing (a rescue ad)… and it turns out to be something else (a condiment ad), you earn attention.

• Let format carry the joke.
  The funniness came from playing it straight, not from forcing punchlines.

• Every category has clichés ripe for hijacking.
  Look outside your vertical for inspiration. Then bring it home in a way that feels fresh.

Make your marketing less boring

The best marketing ideas come from marketers who live it. That’s what The Marketing Millennials delivers: real insights, fresh takes, and no fluff. Written by Daniel Murray, a marketer who knows what works, this newsletter cuts through the noise so you can stop guessing and start winning. Subscribe and level up your marketing game.

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The Crux: It’s good when someone asks…

Because sometimes, the most memorable work isn’t what your audience expects.
It’s what they almost mistake for something else.

And that’s how you take a cupboard spread and turn it into a cultural moment.

Figment is written by Abbhinav Kastura, a writer/producer who has spent a decade making impactful internet videos and Guru Nicketan, an advertising nerd, B2B Marketer, stand-up comedian, and a film buff.