Surreal’s cheeky “famous people” ads

We're massive fans of everything Surreal do with their copy, and this was one of their first massive moves with everyone from Serena Williams to Dwayne Johnson. It's funny, it's on-brand, it's attention-grabbing, it's memorable... no notes.

There's a lot going on under the hood of this one. It's a parody of influencer culture, it's very tongue in cheek, it's charmingly self-deprecating (which studies show makes customers like you and trust you more)... But you can't just pinch this idea wholesale. So instead, what does everybody in your category do that makes them look impressive but is actually a bit hollow? What's the smallest, most technically-true version of that kind of claim you could make? So if all of your competitors are saying "As seen on TV", then maybe you can say "As seen on TV *we were a blur in the background of Eastenders for a fraction of a second, one time." Quick note: this kinda thing works best when you're the underdog. If you're a bigger brand, this reads as smug. But if you're a challenger brand still finding your feet? This is how you get noticed and get customers to like you. Smart stuff.