These Bizarre Pot Noodle Ads May Gross Some People Out, But the Brand is Okay With That

Britain has a pothole epidemic, with one road for every nine miles in urgent need of repair. Local groups around the country even hold protests on National Pothole Day in January. 

Unilever food brand Pot Noodle has proposed a bizarre solution to this problem: fill the holes with noodles. 

A new campaign, by U.K.-based agency adam&eveDDB, calls Pot Noodle “the ultimate hole-filling meal.” The play on words refers to the product’s ability to satisfy hunger, while illustrating this in quite literal terms. 

Spanning outdoor, print, social media and PR, the ads show all manner of holes–including a pool table pocket, a bird house and a washing machine drum–being filled with noodles. 

The campaign will appear in locations that are notorious for potholes, such as Surrey, Essex and Northamptonshire. A digital van showing the noodle-filled holes will also drive down two of the worst pockmarked roads in Surrey. 

Pot Noodle has released a GIF sticker pack on Instagram Stories, allowing users to fill holes digitally with the hashtag #NothingFillsAHoleLikePotNoodle. A brand spokesperson called Mr. Pothole will advocate (humorously) about the country’s pothole problem. 

A subversive personality

The campaign came about to challenge the notion that Pot Noodle–instant noodles that come in a pot–is not “real food,” explained adam&eveDDB creative director Mark Shanley. 

Though the images of noodle-filled holes may be gross for many viewers, this cheeky tone of voice is in line with the brand’s advertising personality, he said. 

“Pot Noodle has a history of being quite a subversive brand,” Shanley continued. “We’re not for everyone and we’re okay with it.” 

Another issue that Pot Noodle may encounter: what if some of its customers have trypophobia (phobia of holes)? Studies suggest as many as one in six people may suffer from the condition. 

“We have a great creative team here both of whom suffer from trypophobia, so it’s actually something we talk about quite a lot,” Shanley countered. “We thought in this instance, [by filling the holes] we’d be doing them a favor rather than triggering them.”

CREDITS: 

Client, general manager foods (Nutrition): Andre Burger 
Client, marketing director: Georgina Bradford 
Client, marketing manager: Shannon Lennon-Smith 
Agency: adam&eveDDB
Chief creative officer: Richard Brim
Creative director: Mark Shanley
Copywriter: Richard McGrann
Art director: Andy Clough
Social creative: Judith Tulkens
Joint head of integrated production: Sally Pritchett
Agency producer: Sophie Fletcher, Amy Simmons 
Senior planner: Liora Ingram
Junior planner: Lucy Wilson 
CEO: Tammy Einav
Managing partner: Tom White
Account directors: Max Sullivan & Hugo Evans
Project director: Rasha Noronha
Head of design: Paul Knowles 
Head of CGI (Retouch) : Charlie Townsend 
Senior creative artworker/studio manager: Dave Callow 
Creative artworker: Sam Harris 
Head of digital production: James Brown 
Senior interactive designer: Adrian Baker 
Motion producer: Rebecca Hunnybun 
Graphic/print producer: Tony Hutton 
Junior motion creator: Honor Northridge 
Design director: Adrian Barker 
Content director: Dan Boulton 
Assistant producer: Jake Parker 
Media agency: Mindshare UK
Business director: Tess Domenet
Account manager: Nathan Hope
Account executive: Megan Wieland
Kinetic senior account director: Rikul Sudra
PR agency: W Communications 
Campaign director: Grace Jackson
Associate creative director: John Wilkinson 
Associate director: Jess O’Donoghue
Account director: Paige Hartley 
Senior account executive: Ella Bull
Production company: Academy Films 
Photographer: Frederick Paxton
Shooting director and editor: Honor Northridge
EP /head of photography: Charlotte Long
Producer: Aidan Brooks
1st assistant/digi op: Simon Wellignton
Production manager: Daragh McCann
Production assistant: Dara Phillips 
Runner: Luca Visockaite
Runner: Tai Carter
Sound: Factor
Audio producer: Ethan Day 
Audio creative director: Dan Beckwith
1920VFX
Colorist: Kai Van Beers
2D: Chrys Aldred
Senior producer: Charlotte Griffin
Siren
Composer: Jon Clarke
Producer: Sian Rogers
Production assistant: Chris Christoforou