The Dulux old English sheepdog is being reincarnated by Ogilvy as a paint roller-cum-spray to gently amusing effect. and because it’s iconic, as pooches go, nobody kills it, they just smile along until the paint turns out the right colour.
Because “Life is what you paint it.”
Stephen Coghlan, marketing director at Dulux parent AkzoNobel, says: “‘Life is what you paint it’ puts our charming mascot firmly back into the spotlight, 65 years since stealing the nation’s hearts. A perfect blend of celebrating the longevity of Dulux while meeting consumers where they are today.”
Ogilvy UK chief ECD Jules Chalkley says: “Everyone loves a brand mascot and the Dulux dog has achieved true cultural icon status. Bringing it back to the heart of such a modern and joyful story about transforming the way we celebrate life’s big milestones feels so fitting.”
It’s a bit advertising by numbers but Ogilvy always was (“advertising is about selling” as David O used to remind us.) It’s the sort of big agency advertising New Commercial Arts’ James Murphy and David Golding were expensively installed at the top of Ogilvy UK to foster. Now WPP’s new regime needs to get behind Ogilvy to try to reach its former, now almost forgotten, glories.
MAA creative scale: 8.
