Ads We Like: Country Life says goodbye to Theresa May with naughty wheat billboard
With the result of the Conservative leadership race imminent, prime minister Theresa May has just one day left in Downing Street – and Country Life Butter has taken out a billboard in Westminster to say farewell.
The poster features May celebrating her new-found freedom by reliving her naughtiest moment / Country Life
Telling the nation to 'Taste the Freedom, Taste Country Life', the poster features May celebrating her new-found freedom by reliving her naughtiest moment: running through a field of wheat.
The creative riffs off a now-infamous 2017 interview in which May scandalously confessed that the most rebellious moments of her youth were spent running through crops, much to the chargin of her local farmer.
Produced by Country Life's creative media agency UM Studios, the ad will also run across digital and social, as well as at various sites throughout London. It's part of a wider campaign which will be trickled out throughout the week.
Country Life is no stranger to tongue-in-cheek advertising. Former Sex Pistol John Lydon famously fronted the brand's TV ads in the noughties, telling The Drum it was the "most anarchistic thing" he ever did.
"At Country Life we are proud of our Britishness and countryside heritage; and we have always sought to bring in an element of fun into our creative executions," said Lee Willett, marketing director at Country Life.
“Our latest campaign 'Taste the Freedom, Taste Country Life' is no different; we’re hoping to capture the attention of those considering trying something new, while encouraging the nation to embrace their second adolescence.”
Marcia Siebers, creative director at UM Studios, UM’s custom content division, comments said: “Many of us remember Lydon’s anarchy in the countryside ads fondly, but in the years that followed Country Life has tilted towards a more wholesome image.
“We wanted to tip the scales back and position the countryside as a playground where the brand’s core audience, those over the age of 55, can let their hair down. As we know, anyone can be a bit naughty, even Theresa May, and we want to appeal to a generation that enjoys their new-found freedom and isn’t yet ready to grow older gracefully.”