British Paints calls on Aussies to ‘Fight the FOMU’ in new campaign via DDB Melbourne
You’ve heard of FOMO, but what about FOMU? In its latest campaign via DDB Melbourne, British Paints is calling on novice painters across Australia and New Zealand to fight the FOMU (‘Fear of Mucking Up’).
DDB Group Melbourne executive creative director Stuart Turner said the FOMU platform came from both personal experience and customer insights.
Says Turner: “We’ve all been in a position where we needed to tackle a large-scale paint job and felt overwhelmed or scared about how to approach it. It’s this insight that led us to come up with FOMU – the ‘Fear of Mucking Up’.
“FOMU encompasses all of the things that can feel like barriers to starting a new paint job. It’s the quiver in your hand as you put the roller to the wall. The indecision in the face of a thousand colour swatches. The all-consuming thought that if something can go
wrong with a painting job, it probably will.”
The campaign’s launch TVC is the first in a series of three, with the campaign running across digital, social and instore.
Client: British Paints
Marketing Manager: Paul Murphy
Brand Manager: Sue Pham
Senior Brand Manager: Kelly Magee
Product Manager: Nicholas Walsh
Agency: DDB Melbourne
Managing Director: Kate Sterling
Executive Creative Director: Stuart Turner
Art Director: Becky Morriss
Copywriter: Anna Yates
Head of Broadcast: Tuesday Picken
Group Business Director: Lucy Haworth
Business Director: Katie Franklin
Chief Strategy Officer: Karen Dwyer
Business Manager: Natalie Linsdell
Production Company: Sweetshop
Director: Damien Shatford
Producer: Nik Aulich
Managing Director & Executive Producer: Edward Pontifex
Executive Producer: Loren Bradley
Offline Editor: Simon Price – ARC EDIT
Colourist: Edel Rafferty
Online: Ant Newton – Alt Vfx
20 Comments
Interesting to see the number of people from Pacific Island backgrounds being cast lately – in betting ads and now for broader brands like this. I like it. Makes sense to a changing population. I remember just a few years ago clients balking at the idea of including people from southern Asian backgrounds in campaigns. More colour, more mix, more appeal.
@Mac
I concur.
It’s up top us in advertising to make a change.
So good to see my peeps represented. Well done DDB and British Paints.
Got a laugh out of me!
It reads FOMU but is pronounced FOMO.
Or am I missing something?
You might want to read the first paragraph of the article.
Well done Stu and team – well written, well cast, well crafted. I think it’s quality.
Now that CB is allowing comments on DDB Melbourne work, can we talk about that God awful hearing aid ad?
@see no evil: happy to talk about it with you.
We turned comments off because people here seem to get very personal and vindictive in their commentary, and it doesn’t help anyone. In fact it brings down the industry as a whole. Not sure how long you’ve been in advertising but my guess is not long enough to understand the different types of work that agencies produce. It’s not all going to light up the stage at Cannes, in fact most of it won’t. Most of it has a very real business problem to address and often the solution is not anything that will keep the award juries awake. But they are solutions, and that’s the whole reason we exist as advertising agencies. We will always strive for the best but you’ll learn in time that there are hundreds of obstacles in the way of making something fantastic, and sometimes the best solution for the client is a simple one that just does the job.
For the record that hearing aid commercial has been delivering record results in just the first week, and that honestly is a win in my book, as is metal at Cannes. Happy to talk more and talk specifics with you. Reach me Stuart.turner@mel.ddb.com
But maybe try give constructive feedback and maybe, just maybe we can all lift this industry out of the stinky gutter where these type of comments come from. Clients must read these threads and wonder how the hell they can trust us with their business.
Pease for the love of all things holy, wake up and be better to each other. It will help us all.
When you watch an ad about paint, you don’t expect to get hit with death metal. Digging it.
Says Turner: “We’ve all been in a position where we needed to tackle a large-scale paint job…
Nope. Never been in that position. I pay tradies to do that shit.
I’m so glad that you have never been in that position and can afford to pay tradies to do that “shit”. Most people watching free-to-air TV can’t afford tradies, but still want a beautiful home. Painting is a breeze, and deeply satisfying if you watch the how-to videos and get over the FOMU!
So have you allowed comments on this because you think it’s going to “light up the stage at Cannes”?
I was speaking in hyperbole to make a point, but to answer your question, no I don’t. But I do know it’s less susceptible to moronic and damaging comments. Plus I don’t think turning comments off is the answer. We should all take on this bad behaviour and move to eradicate it from our industry. I’ll take constructive criticism any day of the week, and I welcome it, but the comments nowadays are toxic and damaging to agencies, to brands, and to individuals.
Why don’t you all start using your real names?
What are you afraid of? Being accused of cowardice I imagine.
Well said Stu.
Good on you for taking up @Stu, but PLEASE don’t seperate Cannes work from commercial problem solving…it should be the same, and the most awarded work is just that.
Good on you for putting your name to your comments, Stu and Philip. A name makes you accountable for your comments and gives readers some context. If there’s no accountability or context, what’s the value of a comment? A much better credentialed CD than I, gave me this lecture 6 years ago and I’m proud to say I have never commented anonymously since. OK, once – but it was on my own work and I didn’t say anything nasty.
Yes I agree. Wasn’t saying they are separate, just that it’s tough to make everything that perfect combo of brilliant solution and award winning. But we will always try.
Great work- great execution!