Dolmio + Clemenger BBDO Sydney bring Pepper Hacker to life so families can reclaim dinnertime

Last year Dolmio, via agency Clemenger BBDO Sydney, captured the attention of frustrated parents worldwide with the unveiling of the ‘Pepper-Hacker’ – a pepper cracker that not only cracked pepper but also shut down TVs, wiped out WiFi and disabled mobile devices.

With 100 million views across Facebook and YouTube, the film sparked worldwide conversation around the problem that technology is disrupting family dinnertimes.

Soon after the film was released Dolmio was inundated with a flood of requests from frustrated parents everywhere to make the Pepper Hacker available, desperate for an ally in the battle to reclaim dinnertime from technology.

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Says Tim Hicks, marketing director, Mars Food Australia: “We listened to our customers, and decided that we simply had to create the Pepper-Hacker en masse. Sitting around a table and connecting over food is one of the most beneficial times of the day, helping families catch-up, have fun, and really connect. The Pepper Hacker reminds us of the influence technology has over us and how we can all benefit from a little down time from it.”

By developing custom software and bespoke hardware to house the Wi-Fi-disabling technology within a functioning pepper grinder, Dolmio and Clemenger BBDO Sydney are producing over 3,500 fully-functioning Pepper Hackers for consumers to get their hands on as part of a national on-pack giveaway. Once they roll off the assembly line, each Pepper Hacker will be covertly disguised in unassuming packaging before making its way to the tables of lucky winners.

Says Paul Nagy, executive creative director, Clemenger BBDO Sydney: “It seemed the whole of Australia (and half the world) wanted a Pepper Hacker of their own after they saw the film last year… To see them coming to life this year at scale is something we’re very proud of indeed.”

By simply connecting to a home Wi-Fi network, one click of the Dolmio Pepper Hacker can disable the internet connection of up to four unsuspecting family members for 30 minutes – the perfect amount of time to connect over a shared spaghetti bolognese.

Says Brendan Forster, head of creative technology, Clemenger BBDO Sydney: “The new Pepper Hacker will be a great tool for families to help bring to life the fact that when you disconnect you connect. By integrating it with home Wi-Fi systems we have created a technical solution that any home can use to get 30 minutes time back from the mobile devices that dominate our lives.”

Collaborating for the global element of the campaign, AMV BBDO (UK) partnering with Clemenger BBDO Sydney created the campaign’s online film ‘Look Up’, a social experiment that proves just how distracting technology is when it comes to meal times. Directed by Paul Middleditch of Plaza Films, Dolmio secretly filmed tech-distracted family members and changed elements of the world around them without them noticing, proving just how much they miss out on when they have their faces buried in their phones and tablets.

Led by Clemenger BBDO Sydney the new Dolmio Pepper Hacker 2.0 campaign involved MediaCom Sydney, Ogilvy PR and Starcom with the film shot by Paul Middleditch from Plaza Films.

PR: Ogilvy PR