Title	THE VEGETARIAN BUTCHER 'DING DOG'
Brand	THE VEGETARIAN BUTCHER, UNILEVER
Product/Service	VEGETARIAN SAUSAGE
Category	A01. Creation of a new Brand Identity
Entrant	OLIVER London, UNITED KINGDOM
Idea Creation	OLIVER London, UNITED KINGDOM

Name	Company	Position
Rod Sobral	OLIVER / U-Studio	Global Chief Creative Officer
Andrew Tuffs	OLIVER / U-Studio	Creative Director
Kate Woolley	OLIVER / U-Studio	Senior Copywriter
Sara Lim	OLIVER / U-Studio	Account Director
Alex Port	OLIVER / U-Studio	Senior Account Manager
Christine Dobbin	Unilever	Editor
Louise Ranson	Designer	OLIVER / U-Studio
Lara Iliffe	Unilever	The Vegetarian Butcher Senior Brand Manager

Background

The Vegetarian Butcher (TVB) is a plant-based meat brand originally from the Netherlands. To help successfully land TVB within the UK market, Oliver agency was tasked with building a brand identity for a ‘dark restaurant’ which would sell TVB sausages in format of hot-dogs on all major food delivery platforms. Outdated opinions around meat substitutes seemed to persist even in this now saturated plant-based category. We needed to bring old-school ideologies into the new world. So, we did exactly that.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

We smashed together Victorian-era characters with gen-z language. Sprinkled with a few sexual innuendos and shock-ensuing sentiment, we had this deeply original brand identity that struck an instantaneous chord with a range of audiences. The heart and humour of this brand lie within the juxtaposition of old-school visuals and new-school language. Nostalgic meets new wave. Cue a Victorian aristocratic gentleman getting a leg over one of our hot dogs. Ding Dog found a balance between lending itself to TVB’s core brand guidelines whilst feeling original enough to stand alone as a restaurant brand of its very own. Ding Dog is this unapologetic, creatively inspired, no-permission-needed character with an in-your-face type attitude. When a door-bell rings, imagine the harmonious sound of the nation singing, “DIIIIIINNNNNNNG DOG!”.

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

We offered our clients a 360-branding solution which involved market research, social strategies, creative look and feel, naming, tone of voice and more. The aim? To bring some much-needed energy, and originality, to the plant-based sector whilst ensuring we landed the TVB name through product trial. We decided to opt for a creative, social and overall content approach that not only challenged meat-eaters, but the food industry in general.

List the results (20% of vote)

TVB is now in almost every major retailer around the nation with a strong on-shelf presence. With an air-tight influencer campaign and truly attention-grabbing packaging designs, TVB has not just landed in the UK market, but is quickly becoming a front running plant-base meat product. It has also performed so well with students; we have a number of on-site branded Uni restaurants. In 2020, Ding Dog was Awarded Best Craft out of the Global Unilever Account studios with major stakeholders in Unilever taking notice of the work being done.