THE BOAT THAT ROCKED

There’s something that’s been grinding on my gears recently. I’m assuming everyone’s noticed the atrocity that is forced into most of our visions every morning as we prepare to start school. If you arrive at Brixton tube station like myself then I bet, you have noticed the shocking Oatly advertising that sandwiches you on either side of the escalator. The first time I noticed the posters I thought how it was a great opportunity for the brand, as they command the whole row of posters on both sides. A potential spot to do great work.

The posters start off relatively mild, acceptable, a light chuckle at best. But I’m going to guess there are about thirty of them on each side. Thirty posters with the same style and layout but only slight adjustments to copy. Poor attempt at humour in the ads frustrates me so much, especially after learning so much about brand manifestos, it seems they’re putting out these ads without any purpose or strategy. Instead, someone’s probably said ‘we have 60 posters on one tube escalator what should we do?’… To which the reply must have been, ‘let’s ram the fact we have a new yoghurt down their throats 30 times in a row, and attempt to be funny.’ Great idea. 

What tipped me over the edge about these ads was that I couldn’t ignore them as I passed them as I arrive and head home. But yet, even more, they seem to follow me beyond that. See image below for the advert Mark Zuckerberg’s algorithm decided to show me once I got home. Seem familiar?

I get the point that the ads are there to be satirical and dry humour to promote a new product. It reiterates similarities to the poster before as the yoghurt is also similar to every other yoghurt, and it isn’t weird tasting. I reckon Ian would probably have a lot to say about the layout and style of the shots.

I suppose my dislike for the Oatly ads hasn’t uprooted solely from just this poor collation of miserable posters. 

As someone who recently begun introspecting about my impact on the planet and whether I could tweak my diet and lifestyle, to increasingly over time aid to the preservation of it and prevent animal cruelty. I began with shifting from dairy milk to oat. Of course, the number one choice was Oatly. However, after the recent information about the brand, it has left a stain in my mind. The product although ‘cow and planet friendly’ is ironically horrendous for the planet. The company recently sold $200 million of shares to a firm that supports both Donald Trump and the deforestation of the Amazon. People have exclaimed on social media to Boycott the brand, after the selling of their soul.

This to me present a perfect opportunity. I see this as the perfect time to introduce a NEW brand of oat milk. I would call this brand maybe ‘Rock the bOAT’. My goal: disrupt and take over the milk replacement industry and take control of all things OAT. Manifesto: transparency, environment friendly, cutthroat. Our advertising would do technique 3 taught by Marc and “abuse the shit out of the oppositions weakness”. A revolutionary call to arms from the oat drinkers… There will be campaigns, marches, t-shirts, new oat brands, a massive bOAT on the Thames that fires oat milk at passers-by. What a vision.

Anyway. Just a thought really.

As you were