What is it that appeals to the mind of a beer-swilling bloke with the munchies? Tea and scones, a nice cucumber sandwich? Probably not. Think of the hottest curry that he can stomach to show off to his friends. And so Super Noodles Vindaloo was born.The objectives of the campaign were clear. Position Vindaloo SuperNoodles as perfect post-pub nosh and drive short-term sales of this limited edition variant. The campaign needed to talk discretely to one half of SuperNoodlesEcore target audience (young laddish males, 18-34 yrs) without alienating the other key volume-buying group, (housewives with kids).

The tone of voice also needed to follow the acclaimed “slice of lifeETV advertising that has built the parent brand’s distinct personality over the previous 2 years Ewitty, down-to-earth and slightly off-the-wall. There would be no place for Wildean wit or clever repartee. To be credible to a bunch of lager soaked twentysomething males we had to act like one of the lads. We were well and truly in the domain of puerile toilet humour.

What is it that appeals to the mind of a beer-swilling bloke with the munchies? Tea and scones, a nice cucumber sandwich? Probably not. Think of the hottest curry that he can stomach to show off to his friends. And so Super Noodles Vindaloo was born.The objectives of the campaign were clear. Position Vindaloo SuperNoodles as perfect post-pub nosh and drive short-term sales of this limited edition variant. The campaign needed to talk discretely to one half of SuperNoodlesEcore target audience (young laddish males, 18-34 yrs) without alienating the other key volume-buying group, (housewives with kids).

The tone of voice also needed to follow the acclaimed “slice of lifeETV advertising that has built the parent brand’s distinct personality over the previous 2 years Ewitty, down-to-earth and slightly off-the-wall. There would be no place for Wildean wit or clever repartee. To be credible to a bunch of lager soaked twentysomething males we had to act like one of the lads. We were well and truly in the domain of puerile toilet humour. Curry has taken over from Fish and Chips as Britain’s “national dishEand Indian restaurants across the country regularly fill up at 11pm when the pubs close. The period leading up to this recognised snacking “momentEoffered the most suitable window of opportunity and so the pub environment provided a natural home for the campaign.It was the age-old truth about the after-effects of a red-hot Vindaloo that provided the creative stimulus for the entire campaign. An initial idea for a smoking, screaming, farting installation led to an entire campaign based around the toilet. Using areas of pub washrooms that had never been used for advertising purposes before, we created Vindaloo Blast Zones in taverns the length and breadth of the country. It was the biggest washroom campaign in UK advertising history.The main washroom doors facing into bar/lounge areas carried warning signs with the message “Caution, You are now entering a Super Noodles Vindaloo blast ZoneE Inside the washroom itself, the cubicle doors carried notices confirming they were “SuperNoodles Vindaloo Resistant ToiletsEand were wrapped in yellow police warning tape carrying the words “Danger- Ringburn in ProgressE On the inside of the cubicle doors were emergency cooling instructions for cases of extreme “anal overheatingEsuch as ESpray affected posterior region with chilled lager Epreferably German or AustrianEThe walls carried posters for a spoof Vindaloo invention, a pocket sized inflatable toilet called an “Inflate-a-looEwhich could be used in emergency situations.However the crowning glory came in the form of a number of installations, cubicles that were locked off to the public and wrapped in police tape. When anyone entered the washroom, they would trigger hi-tech motion sensors, which in turn would set off a sound chip carrying the screams of a man in rectal agony. At the same time, flashing lights simulated fire and lightening and smoke billowed under the cubicle door.Restricting the campaign to men’s washrooms allowed us to be more daring with the creative execution without running the risk of offending our housewife target audience. Women would only hear about the Blast Zones from their surprised male friends when they were discussed around pub tables. In a way this created a sense of complicity amongst male peer groups and women ended up begging bar staff to let them have a peek inside the men’s toilets just to see what all the fuss was about. The Super Noodles Vindaloo campaign was media led from start to finish. Taking our insights into the behaviour of our target audience, we identified a real experiential opportunity to encourage young men to interact with the brand rather than be passive observers of the advertising. The simplest solution might have been to fall back on conventional men’s media such as TV after 11pm or men’s magazines, however after interrogating the product, its associations and its personality, we felt that we would connect with our target audience more effectively by employing unusual locations for the advertising. The aim was to cut-through all the commercial messages that men receive by using an element of surprise, but more importantly on a low budget, drive word of mouth within peer groups.

The client approved the media strategy before any creative concepts had been developed so every piece of creative work was written with its final home in mind. It was the placement of the campaign that made it a success, not necessarily the very simple message that was written on the posters. In short it was a perfect example of messaging matching environment and environment matching messaging. The media solution demonstrated a clear understanding of the male target audience Ewhat they do on a night out, their group dynamics, their sense of humour. These insights justified a solution that pushed the boundaries of taste and went beyond established methods of advertising food products.This break from tradition Edeliberately promoting a “negativeEtruth Emakes this submission special.

By employing a variety of media that had never been used before and doing so in an entertaining way added to the consumer appeal. By developing a sensory brand experience rather than a conventional media campaign we made a lasting impression and an unforgettable product launch. So rarely do consumers encourage their friends to actively seek out advertising, however the Vindaloo campaign achieved this status.But the proof is in the pudding, or in this case, the curry. Launched as a limited edition, Vindaloo now has a permanent listing in all major multiples. After 3 months on shelf it was already the 5th best selling flavour out of eleven and leader of the “spicyErange. It outsold projected volumes by 30% every week while the campaign was running. Innovation backed up with positive results Eclearly a winning formula.

The Super Noodles Vindaloo campaign was media led from start to finish. Taking our insights into the behaviour of our target audience, we identified a real experiential opportunity to encourage young men to interact with the brand rather than be passive observers of the advertising. The simplest solution might have been to fall back on conventional men’s media such as TV after 11pm or men’s magazines, however after interrogating the product, its associations and its personality, we felt that we would connect with our target audience more effectively by employing unusual locations for the advertising. The aim was to cut-through all the commercial messages that men receive by using an element of surprise, but more importantly on a low budget, drive word of mouth within peer groups.

The client approved the media strategy before any creative concepts had been developed so every piece of creative work was written with its final home in mind. It was the placement of the campaign that made it a success, not necessarily the very simple message that was written on the posters. In short it was a perfect example of messaging matching environment and environment matching messaging.

The media solution demonstrated a clear understanding of the male target audience Ewhat they do on a night out, their group dynamics, their sense of humour. These insights justified a solution that pushed the boundaries of taste and went beyond established methods of advertising food products.This break from tradition Edeliberately promoting a “negativeEtruth Emakes this submission special.

By employing a variety of media that had never been used before and doing so in an entertaining way added to the consumer appeal. By developing a sensory brand experience rather than a conventional media campaign we made a lasting impression and an unforgettable product launch. So rarely do consumers encourage their friends to actively seek out advertising, however the Vindaloo campaign achieved this status.But the proof is in the pudding, or in this case, the curry. Launched as a limited edition, Vindaloo now has a permanent listing in all major multiples. After 3 months on shelf it was already the 5th best selling flavour out of eleven and leader of the “spicyErange. It outsold projected volumes by 30% every week while the campaign was running. Innovation backed up with positive results Eclearly a winning formula.

Curry has taken over from Fish and Chips as Britain’s “national dishEand Indian restaurants across the country regularly fill up at 11pm when the pubs close. The period leading up to this recognised snacking “momentEoffered the most suitable window of opportunity and so the pub environment provided a natural home for the campaign.It was the age-old truth about the after-effects of a red-hot Vindaloo that provided the creative stimulus for the entire campaign. An initial idea for a smoking, screaming, farting installation led to an entire campaign based around the toilet. Using areas of pub washrooms that had never been used for advertising purposes before, we created Vindaloo Blast Zones in taverns the length and breadth of the country. It was the biggest washroom campaign in UK advertising history.The main washroom doors facing into bar/lounge areas carried warning signs with the message “Caution, You are now entering a Super Noodles Vindaloo blast ZoneE Inside the washroom itself, the cubicle doors carried notices confirming they were “SuperNoodles Vindaloo Resistant ToiletsEand were wrapped in yellow police warning tape carrying the words “Danger- Ringburn in ProgressE On the inside of the cubicle doors were emergency cooling instructions for cases of extreme “anal overheatingEsuch as ESpray affected posterior region with chilled lager Epreferably German or AustrianEThe walls carried posters for a spoof Vindaloo invention, a pocket sized inflatable toilet called an “Inflate-a-looEwhich could be used in emergency situations.However the crowning glory came in the form of a number of installations, cubicles that were locked off to the public and wrapped in police tape. When anyone entered the washroom, they would trigger hi-tech motion sensors, which in turn would set off a sound chip carrying the screams of a man in rectal agony. At the same time, flashing lights simulated fire and lightening and smoke billowed under the cubicle door.Restricting the campaign to men’s washrooms allowed us to be more daring with the creative execution without running the risk of offending our housewife target audience. Women would only hear about the Blast Zones from their surprised male friends when they were discussed around pub tables. In a way this created a sense of complicity amongst male peer groups and women ended up begging bar staff to let them have a peek inside the men’s toilets just to see what all the fuss was about.

Pete Lien   Strategist   Naked Communications