Punk’s Not Dead, It’s in the Cereal Aisle

Punk and cereal aren’t two things you’d immediately put together – which is why the latest Jordans ad, ‘Bursting with Bite’, immediately catches your attention.

Havas is behind the rebel positioning that declares Jordans the punks of the cereal aisle, its crunchy granola adding edge to breakfast bowls and shoving aside traditional soggy flakes.

The new persona debuts with a bang in the film directed by The Martians and produced by Push Films, with post from Push VFX. Viewers are taken on a tour of the not-so-normal Jordans factory, where a colourful-haired crew (including MooDonna the mohawked cow) are bringing the morning meal to life. Their nine-to-five requires blasting strawberries with ice guns and breathing fire onto oats – headbanging the whole time, obviously – while adhering to an extravagant punk dress code.

Getting the lowdown on the brand’s injection of punk spirit, LBB’s Zara Naseer caught up with Havas senior creative team, Daisy Bard and Orla O'Connor, as well as strategy director, Flo Sharp; The Martians; Push Films EP, Manuel Santiago; and Push VFX creative director, Pedro Motta.

LBB> The punk positioning is a new one in the cereal market – what was the thinking behind it?

Daisy and Orla (Havas)> We see Jordans as the punks of the cereal world because they have always been disruptors and rebels, pushing against what ‘the man’ is trying to put in our breakfast bowls. Back in the ‘60s, when Kellogg’s were on a mission to get the whole nation eating processed beige monocereals (which is still their mission today), the Jordans brothers came in and introduced a totally new type of cereal – granola: packed full of crunch, bite and wholegrains that are actually good for you. They also took breakfast out of the kitchen and into the real world with cereal bars. This disruptive spirit is still true today – all of our cereals are there to get the nation eating cereal with more bite, not the UPF (ultra-processed foods) cereals that have become the default.

LBB> Who’s the target audience, and what insights informed your strategy for appealing to them?

Flo (Havas)> We defined our audience as young, working people, living busy lives. Breakfast is an important moment for them as an opportunity to fuel up and assess what the day holds, but the truth is that at the moment, breakfast is their most mindless eating occasion. They simply default to easy, bland cereal or toast to keep them full up. We want to remind them that a better and more fulfilling breakfast is a Jordans breakfast full of bite and natural wholegrains.

We knew that their perception of Jordans was as a middle of the road, ‘safe’ brand which they kept forgetting in the face of the more the immediate fun appeal of the likes of Crunchy Nut. We needed to get Jordans back on their radar, and in a time when trust in ‘the man’ is at an all-time low, leveraging the anti-establishment spirit of punk felt like the perfect cultural solution to drive appeal for Jordans.

Above: Behind the scenes of Jordans Cereal 'Bursting with Bite'

LBB> What made Push Films the right collaborator on this campaign, and what was your brief for its team?

Havas> We've been working with Push for a few years now, and their work has consistently been top-notch. For this specific project, it made perfect sense to have production and post-production working as a single unit, which is how they operate. Also, we all love the work of the Martians, and love working with them. The whole team has such strong chemistry, that we knew we would be in good hands.

The Martians> Oh guys, you're making our green skin blush.

LBB> What was your vision for how the factory should look, and how did you go about executing that?

The Martians> The agency's main goal was to keep the punk spirit alive. But here's the thing – we're quite new to Earth, and the punk era was long before our time. So we did what any responsible Martian would do: went back to our spaceship and googled “what is punk?"

Here's where it got interesting. All we found were thousands of black and white photos of humans in colourless clothes hanging around not very colourful industrial spaces. As logical aliens, we concluded: at the time only black and white pictures existed. So we thought, "what if we just added some colour to this whole punk thing?" And that's how our vibrant punk style was born.

Above: On set with the Jordans Cereal punks

LBB> How did you transform the ad’s cast into a crew of vibrant punks?

Manuel (Push Films)> The key to this project was finding the right cast. We're based in Lisbon, and luckily, the city's growing popularity has given us access to a diverse talent pool similar to major cities like London or New York.

The Martians> Fun fact: most of the cast were actually Martians who took over human bodies.

LBB> The punk cow is a great surprise. How did you go about crafting it?

The Martians> Oh, her name is MooDonna, and she’s a star! We gave her the same superstar treatment as every other cast member: endless styling sessions, countless accessories, and so many hair dye sessions.

Pedro (Push VFX)> Thank you! The punk cow was such a fun character to create. We wanted her to embody the rebellious, free-spirited vibe of the ad, so we styled her with bold punk elements like the lightning bolt over her eye, inspired by David Bowie, and gave her a bit of attitude in her expressions and movements.

The process started with brainstorming her personality – she’s cheeky, confident, and unapologetically herself. Then, our CGI team got to work designing her look, making sure the punk aesthetic came through with details like spiked accessories, edgy textures, and of course, her signature lightning bolt.

We also focused on making her movements playful yet cool, so she fit seamlessly into the lighthearted tone of the ad. She ended up becoming the star of the fictional Jordans factory, and we’re thrilled that viewers are loving her as much as we do.

LBB> What was the most challenging aspect of this campaign both in terms of production and VFX?

The Martians> Controlling ourselves to not eat everything from catering.

Manuel (Push Films)> Fitting the entire film into one shoot day was definitely a challenge. Another hurdle was getting all the custom-made costumes ready in time, as we had limited pre-production time. But our styling team absolutely smashed it.

Pedro (Push VFX)> For us it was balancing the playful, lighthearted tone with the detailed technical work required to bring the punk factory and its quirky characters to life.

On the VFX side, the CGI punk cow was a particular challenge. Getting her design just right took some iteration. Her punk style had to feel bold without overshadowing her charm or making her seem too over the top. Animating her movements was another layer of complexity, as we wanted her to feel dynamic and full of personality while interacting naturally within the factory environment.

But challenges like these are also where the magic happens. The team brought incredible creativity and problem-solving skills to the table, and seeing the final ad come together with such a unique vibe made all the hard work worth it.

LBB> How did you work with the music and sound team to give the film that final burst of energy?

Manuel (Push Films)> Martians, you did the music for the treatment, right?

The Martians> Yeah, we created the base sound we wanted, but then we had to translate it into a music format that could be played here on Earth. And we have to say – we really admire the Earthlings who work in music composition and sound design. The only way we can express ourselves musically is by making weird Martian sounds. Luckily, this bunch of super talented people understood us and translated them beautifully. Joe Marsden did the sound design, and it felt like he could read minds like us. Wait a minute... maybe he's a Martian too!

LBB> There are so many more subtle punk touches to find in the film, from the flame-throwing tractor to the chains around the speakers to the tartan conveyor belt. What’s your favourite?

The Martians> Definitely the lightning bolt on MooDonna's face. A subtle tribute to one of our favourite Martians of all time.

Manuel (Push Films)> I love the first shot from inside the factory. The diversity of our punk cast, the banging of the speakers. It really kicks in the energy.

Pedro (Push VFX)> Definitely the tartan conveyor belt, it looks so cool, hopefully we start a new trend for factories around the world.

Above: Behind the scenes of Jordans Cereal 'Bursting with Bite'