Old El Paso’s Sizzling Spot Turns Friday into Fajita Friday

This January the most loved Mexican-inspired food brand is launching its latest campaign under their Make Some Noise Creative Platform, ‘Sound of Connection’. Old El Paso has created the campaign with the help from international agency of record, VCCP, to get more people sharing the vibrancy and inspiration of Mexican food, more often by encouraging friends and families to turn Fridays into Fajitas Fridays. 

‘Sound of Connection’ was born from the insight that sharing a hands-on meal with loved ones is an enabler to bring down our barriers and connect, making mealtimes the original Social Network. The through the line campaign puts a spotlight on the real noise that happens when we gather around the table for an Old El Paso Meal, when coming together means a little chaos and a lot of good noise. This noise is all made up from hundreds of individual sounds, each one a connection. From the sizzling and crunches to the chatter & clatter of plates, even the smallest sounds can be heard, making up these ‘Sounds of Connection’. The campaign looks to buck category trends of picture perfect family life, placing focus on the reality of enjoying Old El Paso where hands-on is the only option to enjoy this flavourful meal.

‘Sound of Connection’ is the first campaign since General Mills appointed VCCP as the Old El Paso international agency of record. The campaign will run internationally across the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland and Norway. The activity will be amplified by six-figure media investment and is planned to reach over 90% of the target audience. 

At the heart of the campaign is a 30 second film directed by the award-winning and BAFTA nominee Sasha Rainbow. This is accompanied by a variety of through the line assets, including Social, YouTube, DOOH, Digital Display and Shopper Display, making the campaign unmissable in market. 

Berengere Dupui, international business unit director at Old El Paso, said, “At a time where there are many distractions in daily life, we believe sharing a meal is one of the best ways to truly connect with those you love. An Old El Paso meal is uniquely placed to facilitate this and we hope ‘Sound of Connection’ will encourage more consumers to turn their next Friday into Fajita Friday, helping us meet our ambition of becoming a family ritual.” 

Ross Neil, deputy executive creative director at VCCP, added, “We are excited to be working with award winning director Sasha Rainbow as she really helped convey the aim of the film, due to her unique style and vision. Through the power of storytelling she has been able to highlight how noise can have an impact on how you discover enjoyment and encourages people to be loud and proud when dining. It’s all about the connection between food and sound that drives full volume flavour. For our first film with Old El Paso™ we’ve been able to create something that inspires people to come together.” 

‘Sound of Connection’ will run in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland and Norway in 2023. It will be on TVC, VOD, YouTube, DOOH, Social and Shopper. The film has been supported by media partners Hogarth local market Adaptations & Mindshare media agency.