DDB New Zealand Found the Perfect Piece of Toast for the Notorious Vogel’s Bread
The perfect piece of toast is often the most comforting meal. It reminds us of sitting at the table with morning sleep in our eyes, and a slice of toast before school. It’s a wonderful companion to all types of soup. It’s warm, inviting and altogether nostalgic.
For the people of New Zealand, however, there is one brand of bread that is infamous for its temperamental toasting qualities. Getting a piece of Vogel’s bread toasted to perfection is often one of the most difficult things a Kiwi has to endure.
The discourse behind this dilemma has flooded the internet with debates on what setting it right for a slice of Vogel’s. In an attempt to put to rest this beast of a problem, DDB New Zealand, Vogel’s and The Warehouse have created toasters that specialise in creating the perfect toasted slice of Vogel’s bread.
To talk LBB’s Casey Martin through the science behind this campaign, DDB New Zealand’s Matt Williams explained the ins and outs of fresh bread versus frozen.
LBB> Firstly, a partnership between a bread company and a lifestyle company that sells toasters is brilliant. When receiving this brief, what were the first things that went through your mind?
Matt> This brief was an opportunity to turn one of the challenges with New Zealand’s favourite bread into a conversation. There were lots of great thoughts on the table but the silliness and smarts of this one got us most excited. With 100 people in our agency using two toasters on different settings, I think we genuinely wanted this for us as much as anyone else.
This Vogel’s toasting conundrum isn’t new to Kiwis. As we did our research, we found loads of comments on Reddit showing there’s Kiwis everywhere wanting a solution (for whatever reason, the Vogel’s-loving community is exceptionally engaged). But the sheer scale of the work involved was clearly not something many people were up for.
LBB> When designing the labels for each toaster, what were the inspirations? How did you reach the final design and what did the previous designs look like?
Matt> In Australasia, we’re all used to seeing these little stickers on our appliances that show their energy and water efficiency. They’ve become a big part of how we choose what to buy. These were definitely the starting point for the design.
A little sticker on every appliance also meant we could steal a little Vogel’s billboard into thousands of kitchens.
The original design was quite rudimental. Initially, the team thought we could get away with putting it down twice on the same setting, but we quickly found better results and a way more interesting campaign could be achieved with a more nuanced approach. This added a second row of stars to the original design, which quickly morphed into the bars which you can see now - which were suddenly on brand.
In the research process, we also released way more people than we thought toast from frozen, so we had to make allowances for that in the design, and of course do a whole lot more testing, which everyone was thrilled about.
LBB> Did the team undergo a massive amount of toast and bread research for this project? What is something that you’ve learnt along the way?
Matt> Yeah, we toasted a lot of Vogel’s, and ate a lot of Vogel’s. Many many creatives were fed, and many croutons made. A couple of extra-extra carbonised pieces made it to the compost.
One thing we learned was never look at the toaster while you wait. It adds at least another 4 minutes.
And never judge a toaster by its cover. Funnily enough, we’ve found it’s the cheaper models that toast the fastest.
And always remove the fire alarms before toasting hundreds of pieces of toast, and let the office manager know beforehand.
LBB> What were the challenges and how did you overcome them?
Matt> The Warehouse has 89 stores nationwide, and taking over the toaster aisle of each and every one was no small feat. So we are very grateful to our fantastic partners who set them up and stickered the thousands of toasters up and down the country.
And… not going to lie. The testing was quite a feat of endurance. So we are bracing ourselves for the next phase.
LBB> What is something that you would take from this project to the next?
Matt> This project isn’t done! There are plenty more toasters which need certifying, and we’ve just begun the journey. The long-term plan is to test and badge every toaster model ever sold here in New Zealand, to eventually compile the largest toasting time data set known to man. So no matter what toaster a Kiwi finds themselves in front of, they know exactly how to achieve Vogel's perfection. We owe it to the world. More on that soon…
What we’ll take away is another reminder that sometimes the most interesting ideas happen when you run towards the challenges of the product, rather than try to dance around them. The work is usually always better for it, and in this case, so is the toast-eater.
LBB> There is nothing better than the perfect piece of toast, what does your perfect toast look like?
Matt> It wasn’t us that decided what the perfect Vogel’s toast looks like. On social media, we offered an online poll to New Zealanders, and over 17,000 responded with their perfect level of toastiness. Basically it’s a golden ochre, with an even spread across the surface of the bread, which gives a perfect balance between a crunchy outside and soft inside.
