KFC’s ‘Wobble Hotline’ and Other Bold Marketing Moves From Cadbury, Magnum, Mars Pet Nutriton and Virgin Media 02

Everything starts with the client, but it isn’t often that we get to pick their brains. That’s why LBB’s editor-in-chief Laura Swinton, asked giants from the brand world the burning question: “What do modern brands really need?”

Joining the discussion were Benjamin Curtis, global brand lead at Magnum (Unilever), Elise Burditt, senior director at Mondelēz International (Cadbury); Simon Valcarcel, marketing director at Virgin Media O2; Lindsay Barrett, global vice president of data driven marketing and communities at Mars Pet Nutrition; and Kate Wall, marketing director at KFC UK and Ireland.

“We have been up against the fridge”

The conversation began by recognising how tough the past few years have been, opening a discussion about the challenges the brands have faced. The panel remarked on the state of the economy and what it’s like to operate as a brand when consumers are acutely feeling the pinch of rising prices. “We have been up against the fridge,” said KFC’s Kate Wall. She explained that when people have £10 pounds in their pocket, fast food can be a hard sell.

Brands too, are feeling the hikes operationally, with budgets having to stretch across more channels than ever. Kate said, as a brand they are now expected to produce more content, faster, cheaper, and better than ever. This was a point echoed by Virgin Media 02’s Simon Valcarcel, who said, “There’s a lot of pressure to justify marketing budgets, but it makes you think about what you can do for less.”

Cadbury’s Elise Burditt told us how cocoa prices are at an all time high, something that happened during the brand's 200th anniversary. It was important for the brand to avoid squeezing consumers and instead look back at the role of Cadbury's in people’s lives and memory to achieve their marketing goals.



The panel agreed with Benjamin Curtis from Magnum, who said it all comes down to reminding consumers of the value of what is being sold. “It’s not about making things cheaper, but making sure what you’re offering feels worth it.” Benjamin recalls toeing that very line when launching Magnum ‘Billionaire’ when the nation was feeling far from rich.

Trust, Trust, Trust

It’s no secret that both agencies and holding companies have exploded in terms of what’s on offer – so how are brands navigating the maze? For our marketers, it was all about trust. Kate said it was “the most important ingredient in all that we do.” That’s one of the reasons the brand had members of their agency, Mother, do a shift in one of the KFC restaurants to really understand the business from the inside out. When working on their latest campaign, they also implemented a ‘Wobble Hotline’ for the director and creative team to raise issues – “everyone is going to have a wobble, so air it with everyone.” It’s fair to say this seemingly simple initiative struck a chord with much of the room – the panel thought it was genius and the audience smiled in agreement.

Kate said that at KFC, they totally rely on their agency partners to bring the right people to the table. Reminiscing about the beginnings of the ‘Believe In Chicken’ campaign, Kate said they saw 12 scripts in one day. While ‘Believe In Chicken’ was by far the bravest of the bunch, it was only through trust in the executive creative director and team that allowed for the leap of faith to choose it. “I don’t think I’ve ever been as scared as before the launch,” said Kate.



Simon when speaking about his brand's 22 year relationship with VCCP said, “We manage the minefield by having trusted partners.” Benjamin echoed the value of long-standing relationships, disclosing that the brand has shot with the same director for over a decade who brings with them the gift of consistency. Elise added that when you have that level of trust, you don’t feel like you’re being sold to.

Mars Pet Nutrition's Lindsay Barrett told us, “We try to strike the right balance to put pressure on agency partners to work smarter, but you can only do it with the right talent internally.”

Simon’s advice to production companies hoping to partner with big brands, was to invest in directorial talent, especially those who are up and coming, as brands will often go with the creative talent who then bring production with them. He also suggested looking at the trends and data to find out what issues brands are facing, and how to find creative solutions.

“Not Being Wallpaper”

The panellists had all recently produced some outstanding work – each of them sharing a collective love for creativity. But how does this show-stopping creativity actually move the needle when it comes to hitting business goals? Our panellists agreed that it’s all about getting out of the way of people who know more – relying on experts to help you excel.

“It’s [also] about standing out and not being wallpaper. The business case for creativity is there,” said Benjamin. Simon concurred, saying, “Creativity can drive business growth. [But] the problem is, outside of marketing, no-one believes that.” He emphasised that in a business-sense, marketers have to demonstrate the value of creativity to whoever you are talking to about it.

Elise discussed how at Cadbury’s they are “obsessed with effectiveness,” noting a 37% increase in revenue last year after their 200th anniversary campaign. Kate has also experienced the fruits of brave creativity, but noted they had to change their creative ambitions, “to be bolder, not to follow.” She noted that in the last three months the brand has witnessed their modernity scores higher than ever. She added that discussions of data shouldn’t eclipse creativity, nor the ‘big idea’.

Lindsay explained that engaging global creator communities has been extremely beneficial, especially for producing branded content.  Today, Mars is the largest petcare company in the world, serving 400 million pets globally. Lindsay told us how the Pedigree ‘Apotable’ campaign used generative AI to take real shelter dogs and put them in out-of-home and digital advertising across cities in New Zealand, in the neighbourhoods where they were available to be adopted.. It resulted in a significant uptake in adoption and truly unlocked the brand’s purpose of finding a home for every dog. 

As our experts shared, resilience in brand-building today requires authenticity, trusted partnerships, and bold creativity. For consumers facing tough financial choices, brands that demonstrate value, invest in long-term partnerships, and dare to stand out, are the ones who will thrive.