Sir Kensington’s gets Orwellian in VML’s ‘Obey Tongue’ campaign

Sir Kensington’s, the Unilever-owned condiment brand, builds its new campaign around an Orwellian dystopia where life is generally grim and flavorless—until people’s Big Brother-like tongues order them to put Sir K’s on their food. Three spots, created by VML New York and directed by Jesse James McElroy, whiplash from “1984”-style bleakness at the beginning to colorful absurdity by the end. The characters are forced to “Obey Tongue,” as the tagline goes, but this at least leads to a pleasant experience for our hapless plebes—not your typical experience for folks under the spell of a brutal, fleshy dictator. The exhortation to “Blow Tongue’s mind” is a nice touch. “As a CD, and as a writer, ‘Obey Tongue’ was really a dream project. Sir Kensington’s gave us the space and trust to push tone and visuals as far ‘out there’ as the concept of ‘Obey Tongue’ was begging for,” said Dana Stalker, creative director at VML. “Advertising ‘risks’ are just about noticeability. The internet is every ad’s competition, and it's a weird and hyper-creative place. Ads should strive to at least match it." The campaign will run will on Meta, TikTok, YouTube, Netflix, OLV and Sir K’s social channels. It also includes out-of-home ads—see an example below.

Sir Kensington’s gets Orwellian in VML’s ‘Obey Tongue’ campaign

Featured Stories