As an OG in the segment, with quirkiness in its advertising history, Naked plans to use “When Thungry” as an evergreen tagline with myriad executions, per Thompson. He said the dark humor made sense for the target demo and “felt true to our brand equity.”
“It’s a relatable idea—two feelings at once—and it’s a very nice bridge to the story of our brand, ‘a drink you can food,’” Thompson said. “It’s a concept with an emotional hook and a lot of creative breadth.”
Comedy chops
The full tagline, “When Thungry, Get Naked: The Drink You Can Food,” could be considered a spiritual and grammatical cousin of Postmates’ long-running cravings-based slogan, “When all you can food is think about.”
“When Thungry” comes from legendary director Tom Kuntz, known for classics like the original Old Spice “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” and Skittles “Beard,” along with a raft of Super Bowl spots such as Tubi’s “Rabbit Holes.”
Creatives at Fig had the kernel of the campaign embedded in the pitch for Naked’s business last year, and it evolved after the indie shop landed agency of record status, according to Justine Armour, chief creative officer and partner.
The brief was to “help Naked get its swagger back,” Armour told ADWEEK, “which gave us permission to be more playful and to have a sense of audacity in the work and to lean into something more entertaining.”
‘Dark truth’
That opened the door for a kind of humor that’s not often seen in today’s risk-averse commercials.
“We went for the unexpressed dark truth, because that’s surprising and you haven’t heard it before—that’s what makes it funny,” Armour said. “Many clients don’t want their brand to have any darkness, and you end up with work that has a goofy, wacky energy.”
Aside from being an eye-catching setup, there’s a direct callback to the brand’s attributes, she said.
“The client gave us the latitude to explore duality,” Armour said. “It feels like there’s some cheeky wisdom in that concept.”
