And the best part about biscuits is that there are so many things to debate: which ones are best for dunking in your tea (Hobnobs obviously); where to put them – in a cupboard, fridge or hidden in a sock drawer; which way round to eat a chocolate digestif; Club orange or mint…
So why are the British so interested in biscuits? Well, it’s because we’re really good at biscuits. The French have their wine and cheese, the Italians have their pasta, pizza, coffee and ice cream, but in Britain we have biscuits. We’re the world leader in biscuits, probably the universe. The British make biscuits better than anyone else and we’ve been doing it longer. Given that we know so much about biscuits, it’s hardly surprising that we all have such strong opinions about them.
But there is one particular debate around brown baked goods that divides opinion more than any other. It is the McVitie’s Jaffa debate: is it a cake or a biscuit? It has divided families, communities and even the nation. Nicola Sturgeon once raised it in the House of Commons. It is a debate that continues unabated – despite the fact that the box clearly says “Cake” and McVitie’s even sued HMRC to prove that it was a cake.
Apparently, when a cake goes stale, it goes hard and when a biscuit goes stale, it goes soft. But despite the weight of all this evidence, people still love to argue. Maybe it’s their size, or the fact that even though they’re called cakes, they’re sold in the biscuit aisle. Or maybe it’s just that we Brits really like to have arguments about biscuits.
For McVitie’s latest Jaffa Cakes campaign, we’ve decided to add fuel to the fire of this debate. However, we’ve decided to do it a little differently. Instead of doing what most other brands do and getting consumers to debate or vote for us, McVitie’s is having to fight back. We’re going to try to put an end to the debate once and for all… in the hope that it will only make it worse.
Why has Jaffa Cakes taken this hard-hitting approach? McVitie’s brand platform, ‘True Originals’, brings together all of its iconic biscuit brands, Choc Digs, Rich Tea, Gingernuts and more. But within this family of True Originals, Jaffa Cakes is a little different, very rebellious. A little mischievous, clumpy and joyfully subversive. It’s this brand personality that has informed the tone and content of this campaign with the tagline ‘It’s a Cake! You biscuit’. This is Jaffa putting his hand in consumers’ faces and trying to end the debate. Knowing full well that this will likely provoke an equal and opposite reaction – and it will all start to get out of control. Just the way many teenagers like it. At the centre of a whirlwind of attention.
The most provocative member of the McVitie family challenges a nation of biscuit debate enthusiasts. It is Jaffa Cakes who provokes a reaction by saying “They’re cakes, what are they?”. Let the debate continue.
