Copycat brands and their ‘parasite packaging’ continue to steal FMCG shelf space from popular UK brands. They do this by preying on shoppers’ unconscious decision-making process in noisy retail settings. Neuroscience proves this as copycat brands command eyeballs 25% faster than the original.

With a brief to maintain premium supermarket shelf space and defend the original yeast extract’s position against both copycats and sweet spreads also eaten at breakfast, the campaign objective was simple to articulate but more challenging to achieve. Success depended on stealing shelf space back and stopping shoppers in their tracks.

With a budget of under £30,000 for design and activation for this charity-led partnership with The Elton John AIDS Foundation, the UK-only design and brand-building response punched way above its weight through a brand refresh and limited-edition product sold (and sold out) exclusively through British supermarket, Sainsbury's.

This is not a collaboration designed to get a brand back on trend. It’s a blueprint for the PR and marketing fightback against supermarket ‘copycats’ that steal consumers’ attention and market share.

Led by neuroscience, strategically Marmite needed to reinvent its much-copied, 120-year-old yellow and black identity to stand out from the ‘parasite packaging’ of own-label products on supermarket shelves.

An irresistible opportunity to achieve this sprung from an Instagram of Elton John at breakfast on his 74th birthday. A barely visible tray of limited-edition Marmite jars behind the singer set socials aglow with chats about Marmite love.

This ignited the creative idea to partner two British icons for the very first time. The resulting category-defying, sell-out ‘Rocketman’ jar was designed inhouse, commanding eyeballs and obliterating copycat competition. With outrageously un-copy-able visual characteristics bought to life alongside own Marmite’s prominent personality, the partnership took off like a rocket, man.

Marmite’s moment of dramatic aesthetic reinvention leaned on expertise in designing for consumers and earned media, while taking inspiration from one of Elton’s John’s own. Emblazoned in feathers and oversized sunglasses and depicted by iconic photographer Terry O’Neill, Elton certainly had what Marmite needed – an incomparable ability to stand out in the crowd.

Where social listening instigated the idea, PR made it happen through a special media recipe for success: Marmite’s 120th birthday, Sir Elton’s 75th birthday, and the 30th anniversary of EJAF. With a 50p donation to EJAF from the sale of each jar, the initiative went beyond promotion and into purpose – supporting the charity’s mission to overcome the stigma, discrimination and neglect that keeps us from ending AIDS.

Striking design assets and copy gave earned media what they needed to make this low budget, purpose-fuelled campaign a runaway consumer success by stimulating a new cultural conversation.

Media relations was key to the month-long UK campaign’s success. It’s hard to convey how much both Marmite and Elton John are part of British identity, but the nation’s media certainly understood the brief. One national newspaper ran the headline “I’m Still Branding” in a nod to Elton John’s 1983 hit single “I’m Still Standing”.

Jars were delivered to print, broadcast, online, and social media to spread the love. Instagram exploded – thanks to content created on brand and Elton-owned channels, big name celebrities and influencers – from Ed Sheeran to Dua Lipa – posted about the products and personalised packages, they received too.

Just as fans started the conversation that led to the collaboration, they began chattering again at launch:

“My two lifelong loves together… Elton John & Marmite… bliss ❤️❤️”

“Someone stop me!!! I need this NOW!!”

“Iconic in every way.”

Listening to Marmite’s own community made the redesign happen and when it did, they flocked to help the new jars rocket off the shelves. Over 90,000 units were sold in just ten days.

Shelf space for the brand was up 400% across 1,484 UK stores, and sales of Marmite more than doubled across the stores nationwide.

There was 113% incremental uplift in sales and 0% cannibalisation (meaning that no one bought a Rocketman jar instead of the core product). In fact, the Elton John edition also boosted sales of Marmite Original.

In the month that followed launch, share was up 3% in line with the brief’s objectives.

There was conversational impact too: over 50 pieces of global earned coverage with a reach of 63 million and earned media value of £360,000.

Brand owner Unilever called it a “best-in-class campaign, where pop culture, purpose, brand heritage and product truth intersect seamlessly.”