Raising laughs
Pot Noodle The Musical is a classic ‘good conquers evil’ tale set in a mythical Pot Noodle farm and is loosely based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It’s the brainchild of London-based advertising agency Mother, which came up with the idea following the success of its musical Pot Noodle television advertisements.
Despite initial scepticism from Fringe purists, Allan Little, Pot Noodle’s Marketing Manager, says it was a risky move that paid off: "We really had no idea how the show would be received. But we were blown away by the feedback and the positive media coverage."
Entertain & engage
Allan believes the key to the one hour show’s success was the brand’s ability to laugh at itself: "We know we're a quick, easy convenient snack, and we'd never pretend to be otherwise. Our main aim is to entertain and engage, and as a British brand, we have a typically British self-deprecating sense of humour."
Allan says the most important factor was the decision to surrender some creative control to independent theatre director, David Sant: "Ultimately, it's a theatre director who knows theatre best, so he's best placed to create something funny that people will pay to come and see."
But beneath the humour, is an urgent drive to find new, more sophisticated ways of reaching consumers, and generate talkability. Ed Warren, a strategic director from Mother, says getting the tone right is critical: "The age of using adverts as a megaphone to yell at people and irritate them is coming to an end. Campaigns for young men often sink into the predictable rut of sexual innuendo or sport, and we wanted something genuinely original and fun."
Northern tour
With that goal seemingly achieved, Pot Noodle The Musical is now set to tour Britain’s northern cities and university towns.
