PLUS Zomer Campaign
Market: UK
Media: TV
Client: Plus Supermarkets
Agency: J. Walter Thompson Amsterdam
Creative Partner: Bas Korsten
Creative Lead: Chris Sant, Dieuwer Bulthuis
Business Lead: Budi Gonzalez de Chaves
Strategy Lead: Daan de Raaf
Concept Producer: Charlene Thomas
Screen Producer: Marloes van den Berg, Kirsten van den Berg
Client: PLUS Supermarkets
Manager Marketing & Communicatie: Bas Snetselaar
Communication Manager: Esmee Blom, Cecile van den Heuvel
Production Company: Pink Rabbit
Director: Ismael ten Heuvel
Producer: Monique van Beckhoven
Music: Amp.Amsterdam - featuring Andrew Simple
Creative Director: Diederik van Middelkoop
Producer: Bart van Liemt
Sound: Studio Alfred Klaassen
Producer: Jacco Lenstra & Hans van de Loo
Published: August 2018
Synopsis:
JWT Amsterdam’s new campaign for PLUS supermarket follows a young Syrian boy’s adventures with typical Dutch food
Food is so heavily embedded into the culture of a country, that local people rarely notice how wonderful - and sometimes weird - their own food is. That is, until someone from a different place arrives…
The power of good food
This insight sets the scene for JWT Amsterdam’s new TV commercial for Dutch supermarket PLUS. The film follows the story of Ismail, a Syrian boy from a refugee family. At his new school he befriends Lucas, who introduces him to Dutch food in all its glory.
True Dutch delicacies are presented - and tasted with varied success - including familiar favourites like pickled herring with raw onions, toasted cheese and ham sandwiches (sans ham for Ismael), and the classic deep-fried meat snack, the ‘bitterbal’.
The spot is sensitively directed by leading Dutch director Ismael ten Heuvel, who was so moved by the narrative that he even named the protagonist after himself. The same director worked on JWT Amsterdam and PLUS supermarket’s rather controversial Christmas TV commercial which featured a co-parenting family and showed how they celebrated Christmas. This spot was one of the Netherlands’ most lauded Christmas ads of 2017.