Beehive bacon points out the absurdities of life in newly launched cheeky campaign via Contagion

This week sees the launch of a very opinionated outdoor, bus and digital campaign from Premier Beehive and Contagion. The campaign aims to point out the absurdities of life and also leaves the door open for potentially ‘contentious’ headlines that can be released on an agile basis depending on the news cycle

Featuring jokes about “vegan fry-ups”, mixed-age couples and Sky subscriptions, the outdoor, bus and digital campaign taps into a variety of different scenarios though some are more contentious than others. There’s the innocent “Woohoo! I just won the Nigerian State lottery” to the more controversial “There’s an innocent reason he deletes his browser history.”

Says Dene McKay, managing director, Contagion: “Beehive is for families who love bacon. We are the benchmark of how it should taste. There is nothing more satisfying whether you are 3 or 83. It is one of life’s pleasures that should never change, what you see is what you get. Bacon doesn’t try to be anything it isn’t, it’s not politically correct, but it is irresistibly honest. We wanted to take this thought of being irresistibly honest and get it across in a way that would get kiwis talking.”

Says Dean Taylor of Contagion: “When we were looking at the category,  it’s clear this is a brand for ‘real’ kiwi families and our tone of voice should reflect that.  This strategy may feel familiar and it should. Tui lived in this space for years and now we’re tying a saying that’s firmly part of the kiwi vernacular to a brand that is too. Many brands are preaching at us about lifestyle or special ingredients. This work aims to be honest and have a point of view.

Says Todd McCracken, joint-ECD, Contagion: “Kiwis love irony, if you can pull it together with phrases from our vernacular it can be pretty powerful. Linking this directly with the brand is even better; ‘Wake up and smell the bacon’ is one of those  ideas.”

Says Emma Bolser, managing partner, Contagion media: “What was awesome about this campaign is the synergy between creative , media, and the medium. These statements are clearly topical; we got a late opportunity to appear opposite Eden Park last Friday so we shouted across the room to our creative buddies and got an ad out about the big game up in under 24 hours”

Creatives: Todd McCracken, Bridget Taylor and Nael Shureih

Media planning: Renee Fox and Vanessa Williams