"It Takes A Big Family"

16 October 2023

60s

Sipping and Singing

Did you ever expect to hear the words 'mammalian lactation' in a jaunty musical number? Well now you can, thanks to this self-aware commercial from Taylors of Harrogate. The piece opens with a man absently reading the back of his coffee bag, unaware that voicing the company's claims of being "a big family" will summon a representative right into his kitchen.

There are two ways to handle a musical ad effectively - the earnestly sincere or genre satirising - and this smartly chooses the latter. A tongue in cheek sense of humour has the main character remain aware of the strangeness of the action at all times, wearily asking the caffeinated Willy Wonka if he's about to burst into song right before he does so.

Director Björn Rühmann blends traditional dance numbers with fun VFX here, the central character's bemusement never faltering even as he's flown around the world on a model bird and perched atop a giant carton of nut milk. This is a silly piece of work in the best way, drawing viewers in with a playful call to try the coffee experts' blend for themselves.

UK

Coffee