BOLTON, ENGLAND — Warburtons, a British baking firm based out of Greater Manchester, has launched a new ad campaign for its Toastie loaf featuring actor George Clooney.
In the commercial, Jonathan Warburton, chairman, Warburton Limited, can be seen making the perfect piece of toast. A cinematic showcase of the Warburtons bread being toasted and buttered ensues to the sounds of “Ave Maria.” Just as Mr. Warburton is about to take a bite, Jane McMillan, head of marketing and communications, enters the room excitedly announcing a call from Mr. Clooney.
The hashtag driving the campaign comes from Mr. Warburton’s response to deciding between taking Mr. Clooney’s call and his buttered toast: “It can wait,” he says, as he takes a crunchy bite. Mr. Clooney can be seen on a video call in his own home, wondering if Mr. Warburton is there and then announcing that the chairman has hung up on him.
“It’s not every day your call is turned down for a slice of toast, but needless to say I had a lot of fun filming this spot,” Mr. Clooney said. “It was great working with the Warburtons team and I’m thankful for the support they are providing to the Clooney Foundation for Justice.”
Mr. Clooney is not the first celebrity to star in a Warburtons commercial. In the past, the British bread company has hosted such stars as Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro. But on their announcement of the new campaign, Warburtons claims the true hero of their new advert is their classic Toastie loaf, their “perfect white bread.”
The company produces about 350,000 Toastie loaves a day and aims to make this new campaign “a toast to quality,” from flour performance to crust color and bread texture. With the softness and freshness of their classic Toastie, Warburtons claims the perfect piece of toast.
“At Warburtons, we pride ourselves on the care that goes into making sure that every single loaf is as fresh and high quality as possible,” Mr. Warburton said. “Quality is truly at the heart of our 145-year-old business, and this new ad is a real celebration of that passion, and we hope it will bring a smile to those watching.”