McVitie's Jaffa Cakes Original Jaffa Jonuts Biscuits 4 Pack

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The Jaffa Jonuts campaign is a “great example” of how to succeed in this in practice, Deason says.“The ad focuses single-mindedly on bringing to life what a Jaffa Jonut is in an interesting and engaging way. The unashamed focus on the product is far from boring – it is found to be distinctive and involving.” Source: Kantar/Pladis Biscuit, cake or… doughnut? Merging a Jaffa Cake and a doughnut is a food combination nobody asked for, but many have been tempted to try after seeing the brand’s outdoor advertising campaign.

In 1927, McVitie & Price introduced the Jaffa Cake, named after Jaffa oranges, containing a simple combination of sugar and tangerine oil to form the sealed layer of jam in the middle.When a product is this good, the communications almost write themselves as the campaign focuses on showing the Jaffa Jonuts in all their mouthwatering glory. With new TV and digital advertising restrictions on high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) foods looming, the Jonuts campaign is also a “great example” of how brands affected by the regulations can continue to launch new innovations elsewhere, Kantar’s Deason adds.

Asked why McVitie’s focused on outdoor advertising for its campaign, Babb says it saw OOH as the space that was going to be “most impactful” for a campaign it wanted to be “very visual”. In need of some positivity? Get delicious recipe ideas, uplifting lifestyle news, and fashion and beauty tips. Make the most of your time at home and enjoy Good Housekeeping delivered directly to your door every month! Launching today in London, Jaffanatics who can find the giant Jonut sculpture – which has been created as an exact replica of the more-ish treat – can get their hands on some free Jaffa Jonuts to enjoy. Brands that experiment now and master how to use other channels effectively in a way that is coherent with the brand’s essence and reaches and resonates with key audiences will gain competitive advantage,” she says. For some time we haven’t had a significant breakthrough in innovation on the brand. So we really wanted to bring something new to market that was going to excite fanatics but also help us tap into new occasions in these spaces,” she says. While Jaffa Cakes are eaten broadly across the day, Jonuts are more targeted at evening occasions and lunchtime treat moments.

Deason explains: “The ad is playing its role in building salience for the brand and primarily a sense of differentiation, while also building warmth towards the brand and a feeling that it meets needs.” Navigating HFSS restrictions Speaking to Marketing Week, McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes marketing manager, Sarah Babb, says “keeping it really simple” was a key focus for the team when creating the ad. Clues on the sculpture’s location will be available on Jaffa Cakes social media channels to give Jaffanatics the chance of getting their hands on their free Jonuts Emma Stowers, Brand Director for McVitie's at pladis UK&I, said in the press release: "We love hearing Jaffanatics debate about our Jaffa Cakes, and the launch of our Jaffa Jonuts is sure to spark further conversation! We’re excited to offer a new twist to our fans, as the fusion between Jaffa Cakes and doughnuts brings an exciting and original taste experience to those who love a treat." It was a sensible strategy to take. According to Kantar’s study, the distinctive Jaffa Cake colours and the brand’s sense of humour played an important role in making the ad immediately recognisable as part of the Jaffa family.

In February, the brand launched a new platform to play off this history: ‘Be what you want to be’. The Jonut launch was designed to build further on that proposition, and the response from consumers has been “really positive”, Babb says. Source: United Biscuits/Pladis Fans of Jaffa Cakes or ‘Jaffanatics’ will be treated to the doughnutty biscuit when they spot the giant Jonut sculpture which will be hidden in three UK cities.

Driving long- and short-term results

Longer term, Kantar expects that while product experience will be key to sustaining sales, the ad has strong potential to contribute towards longer-term success for the brand.

To celebrate their recently launched Jaffa Jonuts ®– a delicious fusion of Jaffa Cakes and doughnuts – McVitie’s ® is giving away thousands of the new treats for those that spot their giant Jonut sculpture which will be hidden in three UK cities According to Babb, the Jonut was conceived to tap into new eating occasions and to excite “Jaffanatics”. Consumers are looking for more new ways to enjoy the brands and products they love, she says, and Jaffa Cakes didn’t want to be left behind. Billed as the love child between a Jaffa Cake and a donut, the Frankensteinian confection marks the most ambitious move yet by the McVitie’s brand to cater for an evolving market with an expanded product line including its Nibbles range. Each execution centres around an enormous image of the Jonut itself, with the Jaffa Jonut’s logo in the bottom right corner. We didn’t want to overcomplicate things. The product itself is what people are most engaged with. So we wanted to keep it really simple, and really hero the product and the distinctive brand assets that we’re building with the brand,” she explains.

How you can get your hands on the Jaffa Jonut

The original and much-loved Jaffa Cake consists of a springy sponge base topped with orange flavoured filling similar to jelly and a layer of patterned dark chocolate. For its Jaffa Jonut avatar, its shape has changed from regular mounded biscuit to doughnut shaped ring. McVitie’s brand director, Emma Stowers, said: “We love hearing debate about our Jaffa Cakes, and the launch of our Jaffa Jonuts is sure to spark further conversation. Created by TBWA\London, with media planned and bought by Manning Gottlieb OMD, the tongue-in-cheek billboards ran across the UK. One execution featured a pointed innuendo: ‘When a Jaffa Cake and a donut love each other very much…’. Others imitated perfume ads, consumer technology ads and sportswear ads.