TheMarketingblog

Video / If you are a Muppets fan this new “be more tea”ad is for you

This ad from Adam&Eve/DDB for Unilever’s Lipton Tea will do the job with the Muppet followers. The rest of us might find it a bit too busy.

It’s due to air in tonight the Oscars (March 2) and the result of a tie-in between the brand and the new Muppets Most Wanted movie (out March 20) from Disney.Adam & Eve/DDB created the spot, which depicts a city almost entirely populated by different versions of the frenzied Muppet character Animal. Kermit the Frog seeks refuge from the hubbub in Lipton’s tea drinks and tells Miss Piggy that his coping strategy is to “be more tea”. The tie-up with the Muppets precedes the release of the Muppets Most Wanted film in March.

The spot, which will first air in the US, was written by Patrick McClelland, art directed by Feargal Ballance and directed by Noam Murro through Biscuit Filmworks.

Unilever is doubling Lipton marketing spending to more than $40 million this year compared to last, said Alessandra Bellini, VP-brand development for Unilever Refreshments.

The campaign backs both Lipton hot tea and iced tea, the latter marketed as part of a joint venture with PepsiCo. While Lipton has had global campaigns in the past for ready-to-drink tea, this is the first global effort behind the entire brand lineup, Ms. Bellini said. Lipton — in both cold and hot forms — trails only Coke in consumption among global beverage brands, she added.