How PG Tips, CALLING and Sir Steve McQueen Pieced Together the ‘Puzzle’ of Britishness

'It’s Not Just Tea. It’s Progress' is the bend idea for the first major advertising campaign for UK tea brand PG Tips in eight years. Devised by the creative collective CALLING – a startup shop that only began in 2023 – the campaign aims to present the power of a pause from the noise of life, offering moments of everyday progress where individuals reconnect with their best selves.

The integrated launch campaign features a 70-second film titled 'Rock Solid', starring critically acclaimed actor, director, producer and musician Ashley Walters, directed by Oscar-winning director Sir Steve McQueen. With Mercury Prize-winning Ezra Collective tapped up for the score, it’s a formidable mixture of British talent telling the story of one man giving himself a pep talk over a cuppa.

Having appointed CALLING as PG Tips’ agency of record late in 2023, parent company LIPTON is making a £12 million marketing push aimed at helping PG Tips reclaim a place at the heart of modern British culture and connect with a younger demographic. The new campaign is a central part of that.

It’s a fully integrated effort, of course. Digital activations featuring the campaign's hero talent will offer greater insight into the theme of personal progress. There will be iconic DOOH (digital out of home) and social executions as part of the campaign, with plans for the brand to announce funding support for specific charities working with young British talent.

To hear about how the campaign came together around the idea of moments of fresh perspective, recovery and reflection, LBB’s Alex Reeves catches up with CALLING founder and ECD Josh Tenser.

LBB> PG Tips is a real heart-of-the-nation brand for the UK, a country of tea drinkers, but you admit it had "lost relevance in recent times". How did you identify the challenges the brand was facing and communicate that to your would-be clients in a pitch?

Josh> PG had been on the shelf in advertising terms for almost a decade. That in itself caused the brand to lose relevance. Then, you just had to look at how far and fast the world has moved in a decade – the style of work and the message behind it needed to be carefully framed to land with people living in Britain today.

The first time we met, I showed the team a very rough sketch of where we believe tea fits into people's lives in this country today. It's as simple as that. But also as complicated as that…  because Britishness is now a real puzzle.

LBB> What was the process that led to you finding the new brand idea – 'It's Not Just Tea. It's Progress’?

Josh> It's a very simple ’product demo’ in a lot of ways. PG Tips has the most refreshing blend in terms of flavour profile of all the major UK teas. So then, what does the tea moment do for us? It's not more energy to bang your head against the same old problems like coffee. It's a moment of pause and recovery. To gather in your thoughts. Soothe the things that vex you. Then emerge refreshed on the other side. A cup of tea can create these small moments of everyday progress. Tea really does keep the country moving. Good ideas are always born out of the truth, in my opinion. 

LBB> How did that idea spin out into the script for the 'Rock Solid' film, as well as the other executions on OOH, social and digital commerce?

Josh> Tea is so often the time we have a little word with ourselves during the course of the day. To gather in our thoughts away from the noise of life. Again it's just a very simple idea. A magical way of rendering a very common moment in all our lives. 

In the hero film, Ashley's mug of PG Tips gives him the validation in the end. We extended this thought into OOH and social commerce with a set of slogan mugs that help you progress. There's a merch stall coming in the next few weeks with a set of mugs created in collaboration with British illustration talent.

LBB> You've aligned a phenomenal set of British talent to bring it together. Sir Steve McQueen, Ashley Walters and Ezra Collective. What is it about those artists that fits so well with the new ethos of PG Tips?

Josh> We were thinking about talent almost from day one, and I think it really pays off to put the time in. We created several possible talent archetypes and tested them all in focus groups. From this we emerged with a strategy to collaborate with ‘Modern British Trailblazers’ – people who represented modern Britain and who were creating progress in their field. I think that's the common thread that ties Ashley, Steve and Ezra Collective together. 

We wrote the script for Ashley and tailored it tightly to his story, which was a big factor in him wanting to come on board – the theme really resonated with him. He and Steve knew each other and that was persuasive for Steve. And Steve had featured on Ezra's last album, so it was quite a satisfying meeting of minds.

LBB> It must have been a privilege to work with all of those people. Are there any highlights that will stick in your mind?

Josh> It was a true blessing. Honestly, the highlight was just the levels they all brought. On the first morning of the shoot, Steve wanted a couple of hours to work with just Ashley on set so we waited in the canteen with the PG gang. We got called in and Steve showed us the monitor and there it was. They'd put the ad together – albeit in a rough comp. It's rare you feel proper magic like that on a shoot – it's usually a painstaking game of gathering elements. We all clapped. Literally. And clients never clap the monitor on a shoot. 

Steve himself is just a brilliant, intense human. He had a sublime build on the script that really took it to the next level. It meant a few tricky conversations with the client as the scripts had all been quant tested. But that's why you work with someone like him – to create a little magic. And then there's Ashley's performance – it's just note perfect. 

LBB> What does this campaign signal for the future of the PG Tips brand?

Josh> An iconic 100-year-old brand reclaiming their place in the heart of UK culture? Becoming the nation's number one selling tea brand again? Invigorating the tea category by reaching a new generation of tea drinkers?

LBB> And let's not gloss over the magnitude of this campaign for CALLING as a startup studio. What does it represent for you as a creative collective?

Josh> It's really massive for us. It was a huge challenge creatively to take on a brand like this at a moment like this, when it's been a little neglected. It's one that everyone will be watching. 

There's so many ways to get something like this wrong. Not go far enough and it won't cut through. Not make it true and no one will believe in it. Hark back to the past and it won't push the brand forwards. Mess up the ‘British’ thing and end up in all kinds of hot water. 

I'm really proud of how it turned out, and I feel like there's nothing we can't take on now at CALLING. It doesn't get any bigger in terms of expectation and iconic status than a brief like this. It felt like I was walking a tightrope whilst holding a very fragile thing for about six months. But we got there and I think it's note perfect.