How This Canadian Food Brand Answered Charli XCX’s Brat Summer Call
For fans of Charli XCX - and really anyone on the internet for that matter - it was nigh impossible to avoid the surge of ‘Brat’-related content that came with the release of her new album. She declared it ‘brat summer’, and so it was. Bright, lime green backgrounds were everywhere, and it was officially time to celebrate the hottest months of the year.
Of course, this posed a stunning marketing opportunity for anyone with the creativity to seize it. And, through a bit of clever wordplay, agency No Fixed Address (NFA) and its client, Maple Leaf Foods, saw the perfect opportunity to do just that. Recognising that one of its flagship products is the Field Roast line of plant-based products - chief among these being sausages - it only seemed right that brat summer turn into bratwurst summer.
Placing a pack of sausages against the iconic green background, the two really let the creative speak for itself. Bolstered further by placements at Toronto’s Yonge and Dundas Square (during Pride weekend no less) and strong supporting socials, the work quickly made waves, and reminded the internet that brat summer really is better with bratwurst.
To learn more about how this came to life, LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down with NFA executive creative director Jamie Marcovitch, and group account director Shawne Elnicki for a chat.
LBB> A campaign like this requires a fast turnaround and great communications. So, how did this idea come to pass? Was it brand-driven, or agency-driven?
Jamie> Agency-driven with full brand support! At NFA, we have a team constantly watching out for trends we can use to bring our Maple Leaf Foods brands to life, and an ‘always on’ approach to social. We noticed the Charli XCX ‘Brat’ trend just starting on TikTok and Instagram, from the ‘It’s Brat Summer…’ memes to the Brat-green background. Brat summer was blowing up. We figured ‘hey, you can’t have a Brat summer without bratwurst!’.
LBB> After the initial brief, what was the development process like? And how did the required speed of the turnaround factor into the creative process?
Jamie> We have a weekly writers’ room session for certain brands where we identify trends that are relevant and then creatives, strategy, media, production and accounts all come together to brainstorm ways the brands can jump into the conversation. It keeps us on our toes.
For ‘Brat(wurst)’, the trend was spotted on a Tuesday, the brainstorm happened on Wednesday, the client presentation on Thursday morning, the social post went live on Thursday afternoon and a billboard in Yonge-Dundas Square went live in time for the Pride celebration on Saturday. We knew we had to move quickly to own the moment, which meant we couldn’t second guess and we needed client trust throughout. And they trusted!
Shawne> Like Jamie mentioned, when an opportunity is identified, we war-room it as an integrated team before sending creatives forward to map out how it all comes to life. In parallel, we make sure that the right people, internally and on the client side, are primed for incoming reviews, quick feedback and approval requirements.
LBB> The design itself is awesome! How long did it take to create, and how did you go about securing such strong OOH placements so quickly?
Jamie> Thanks! But we have to give credit where credit is due – Charli XCX’s ‘Brat’ album has such a distinct look and feel with the blurred font and green background, and we just built from there. We wanted to keep it iconic. And the fact that Field Roast has the green Apple and Sage SKU was just the icing on the cake.
For the placement, we knew we needed something with size and impact, and Yonge-Dundas Square is basically the Times Square of Canada. And with the Pride celebration happening that Saturday in the Square, we knew a lot of Charli fans would be there. It was a no brainer. Thankfully, we have such a great media team, and they secured the killer placement.
Shawne> Creatively, we knew the exact kind of placement we were looking for to bring the idea to life. Because NFA leads both creative and media for Field Roast, we’re able to run concepts by the media team and have them started on outreach seamlessly. Once the idea of Yonge and Dundas was in, the email for placement was out.
LBB> As a whole, how does working on a reactionary campaign like this compare to the traditional creative process?
Jamie> There’s something so exciting and liberating about being in a situation where you don’t have time to second guess. Usually, we’re in situations where we find ourselves third and fourth guessing because there’s so much time between selling the idea and running it.
LBB> Throughout all of this, how was the communications process with the brand? Were they hands on the whole way, or did they let you just do your thing?
Shawne> We are super lucky to have a strong relationship with our partners at Maple Leaf Foods. They know that we live and breathe their brands and have a shared objective to drive them forward; that foundational trust allows us to move at the pace required for these kinds of ideas.
Jamie> They really just let us run with it. The trust was already built, they understood this was one of those cultural moments you have to just ride.
LBB> The social game was also a very important part of this campaign. Can you tell us more about how you approached this? What strategies did you employ to ensure maximum reach?
Jamie> We knew this was a big cultural moment. Brat memes were popping up everywhere, but no brands had really grabbed hold of it yet. Once the billboard ran, we assembled a PR package for the different media outlets and put it out there, wanting it to get in front of the gen z eyeballs we hoped would relate to the bold attitude of Field Roast.
LBB> What lessons did you learn in the making of this campaign?
Jamie> The power of meme-vertising as a way to authentically connect with the gen z target. One TikTok influencer even heralded it in one of his videos as a masterclass in speaking to that target. That reaction was 100% organic and blew me away.
Shawne> When you see brands find success with ideas of this nature, the pressure can make it feel like jumping on any trending topic is the solution. The truth is that the idea only works if it works for your brand and your audience – if it doesn’t feel authentic, you can smell it from a mile away.
LBB> As a whole, how have people reacted to this campaign?
Jamie> The reaction has been unbelievable! Apart from the public genuinely loving how we’ve attached ourselves to the trend, when consumer pubs like Billboard Magazine or Marie Claire have commented on the Brat explosion, Field Roast has become the consumer brand they reference.
LBB> Finally, can you tell us anything about how you’ll be using this momentum to build into the future?
Shawne> As a brand, Field Roast exists to champion the bold, so we’ll continue to find opportunities that celebrate the moments, the people and the food that live into that value as well. It’s what we do best at NFA.
