AdMiration feature: Just Eat’s “Every Neighbour Got Their Flava”

For this week’s AdMiration feature, we looked at consumer response to Just Eat’s “Every Neighbour Got Their Flava” ad, which promotes the brand's on-demand delivery app and stars R&B artist Craig David.

Read on to get our 3-2-1 snapshot of the ad (3 facts, 2 learnings and 1 reflection) and learn how their ad was received based on our data.

The ad opens to a shot of a mythical street that could easily be in the UK or Ireland, with thatched roof houses, post boxes and lighthouses, as Craig David is seen strolling down the sidewalk, beginning to sing the lines “Every neighbour got their flavor. Did somebody say Just Eat?” 

His song continues, as he sings the tale of the neighbor at #23 and the scene shifts into their home, filled with Aioffe’s extended family who needed some lunch, coffee and nappies that have just been delivered. 

The scene shifts to another flat, where Craig David sings about a young man Nate cooking for his date, who realizes he’s missing ingredients, when a hand holding a Just Eat grocery delivery bag pops through his open window — saving the date. As the dinner hits the table, Nate’s date catches the artist (now giant) and exclaims, “Is that Craig David?” To which he sings back, “Ooooh yeah.”

Craig returns to singing the main lines of the tune before focusing in on Jean’s flat, who has just gotten dinner delivered that comes inside a giant Just Eat bag. The scene then pans to Ryan, a young football player who’s just signed on to play as #9, who’s surrounded by paparazzi and fans as he opens his door to get his well-earned Just Eat takeaway. 

In the final neighbor's flat, a young woman named Zara is relaxing in a bath with undereye patches on as a mini Craig David sits on the edge of the tub and sings about how she’s secretly staying in (despite texting a friend that she’s working) and ordering takeaway from Just Eat. 

The ad concludes with the main lines repeated, “Every neighbour got their flavor. Did somebody say Just Eat?” as Craig grabs a smoothie from a Just Eat delivery man and walks into the flat, which has “Did Somebody Say” allowed by the Just Eat logo spray painted on the exterior wall. 

3 facts

• This was a polarizing but strong ad from Just Eat that performs very well with younger audiences (Under 36 Sales Impact: 83, Brand Impact: 92) and not as well with older audiences (36+ Sales Impact: 38, Brand Impact: 41). 

• Unaided brand recall is high across all audiences (Unaided Brand Recall: 84% vs. 73% norm) meaning it will be successful in making the brand more top of mind.  The investment in establishing the Did Somebody Say campaign and jingle is really paying off here with this working as a highly effective brand asset to ensure Just Eat gets all credit for the ad.  

• This ad does an excellent job at using music to communicate the key benefits of the product, from all the items the brand’s app can deliver, the time to delivery in a crunch and the variety of family style needs they can meet with their offerings — all of which are clearly communicated in the lyrics, resulting  in  spikes of love from all ages at the “Did somebody say Just Eat?” and “Every neighbour got their flavor” lines.  

2 learnings

• You don’t have to appeal to everyone to have a successful ad. In this case, the ad was quite polarising with above average levels of both love and dislike.  Older audiences didn’t respond as positively to the spot as younger audiences. Many over 35 didn’t like the pacing or length of the ad, the artist choice or the music. But in comparison, the younger viewers (and the heavier users of the delivery app) loved the ad (Love: 48% vs. 29% norm)! They particularly loved seeing Craig David’s appearance and the overall soundtrack he performed (Musical Appeal: 4.3 vs. 3.9), with very low levels of dislike throughout the ad. While it didn’t appeal to all, the high levels of enjoyment (Enjoyment: 4.1 vs. 3.9 norm) and relevance (Relevance: 4.0 vs. 3.6 norm) from the target audience is a great indicator of success for the brand. 

• Distinctive brand assets (DBAs) are a great way to cue the brand. In this case, Just Eat used a variety of brand assets including their logo, brand colors, campaign jingle, slogan and more. The brand also included themselves through the entirety of the spot amid the soundtrack by Craig David — making it impossible to miss who the ad was for. This is a great example of a well structured ad with a prominent role for the brand assets, ultimately resulting in success.

1 reflection

How can you tailor your established campaign to a specific geographic audience? In this case, Just Eat was looking to specifically speak to UK and Ireland audiences with their latest ad. 

To form a connection that made sense for both the brand and their audience, the setting was focused on a picturesque UK/Irish street with visits to various flats (like Aioffe’s) throughout the spot. They also turned to UK garage and R&B artist Craig David — a popular local talent who rose to stardom. Having him sing the Just Eat tune in his own style was a fantastic way to reach and resonate with the community — which was the driver of the majority of likes for this spot (Audio: 27% and Music: 26%), with some sharing: "I liked the music and celebrity guest appearance from Craig David”, “I like the music and the people in the advert. I really liked that he visits different people, families etc." and "I like that it’s fun and colourful and that Craig David brings a nostalgic, upbeat vibe. I also like how it shows a variety of people and homes, making it feel inclusive, relatable and lighthearted." By tapping into both the power of music and celebrity done right, Just Eat found a way to hero the brand for this specific region, resulting in excellent branding for this spot.

It’s worth noting that there's often a tension between global ideas and local execution — how to build a coherent brand while having local resonance. This Just Eat ad is a great example of how, with the right thinking, you can get the balance just right to establish a global brand with local resonance.

This spot is the latest addition to Just Eat’s “Did Somebody Say” campaign, which has previously featured artists such as Snoop Dogg, Katy Perry, Christina Aguilera and Latto. 

Created by McCann London’s senior creatives Adam Taylor-Smith and Stephen Yeates, with creative direction from Rob Webster and Alexei Berwitz, the Did Somebody Say UK and Ireland campaign celebrates the people and places of the UK and Ireland as well as their communities.

Andrew Cocker, UK&I Marketing Director at Just Eat, shares, “We're thrilled to launch the next chapter of our 'Did Somebody Say' platform with the legendary Craig David. The latest campaign is a brilliant celebration of community, perfectly capturing how Just Eat serves every household and every need across the UK and Ireland. Whether it's a takeaway for a cosy night in, a last-minute grocery item for busy families, or a selfcare treat for yourself, Just Eat is there for every moment.”

On his new partnership with Just Eat, Craig David shared, “It’s an honour to team up with Just Eat and bring a garage flava to the iconic ‘Did Somebody Say’ track. I’ve always been about celebrating and championing communities, and the lyrics get to the heart of everyday moments that connect us all. It’s a joy to follow in the footsteps of the legendary artists that have been part of Just Eat's “Did Somebody Say” legacy and to do it for the first time with a focus on the UK and Ireland, is something I’m really proud of.”

The campaign will run across TV, DOOH, cinema, radio and social.

While polarizing among different age groups, this was a strong ad from Just Eat that performed very well among younger audiences (Under 36 Sales Impact: 83, Brand Impact: 92) while being less effective for older audiences (36+ Sales Impact: 38, Brand Impact: 41). 

However, regardless of age group, the spot was unmistakably Just Eat with excellent brand recall from viewers (Unaided Brand Recall: 84% vs. 73% norm). People were able to instantly recognize who the ad was for through brand assets like the “eat” theme, prominent logo display and memorable soundtrack — which also speaks to the strength of the “Did Somebody Say” campaign overall.

But beyond that, the differences in reactions from viewers of different age groups are stark. Let’s take a closer look at the Under 36 segment.

Younger audiences find the ad to be distinctive, allowing it to drive great reach (Distinctiveness: 4.1 vs. 3.8 norm) and thoroughly enjoyed the music performed by Craig David in the spot (Musical Appeal: 4.3 vs. 3.9) which hooks them (and others) into watching the full ad (Under 36: 84% vs. 82% watch time norm, Total audience: 92% vs 89% watch time norm). 

The younger viewers also resonated strongly with the ad, sharing very high levels of love for the ad (Love: 48% vs. 29% norm) and finding it to be relevant to them (Relevance: 4.0 vs. 3.6 norm). After watching the ad, they also agreed that Just Eat delivers what they need from a food delivery service (Brand Meets Needs: 4.2 vs. 4.0 norm) — exactly what a brand would hope to see.

They experienced a lot of love, like and laughter throughout the ad, with big spikes of love when Craig David comes into focus and then another when he says “Did somebody say Just Eat?” They also had spikes of laughter at all the funny moments, and spikes of love whenever Craig David sang “Every neighbour got their flavor.” The ad ends with another big spike of love for them when he sings “Did somebody say Just Eat?” one last time.

When it comes to the older audience segment (36+), there was an overall lower emotional response throughout. This was mostly dominated by “like,” with more “dislike” than younger audiences and significantly above the average for this age group. However, there were still small spikes of love from this group when Craig David sang the “Did somebody say Just Eat?” and “Every neighbour got their flavor” lines, indicating a positive response to the campaign in general.

Let’s take a closer look into what people liked and disliked about it. 

Likes: 

The most commonly liked aspect of the ad was its music (26%), with a notable portion of viewers also appreciating the visuals (9%). Additional themes include emotional appeal, understanding and the people/characters — each mentioned by 6% of respondents— as well as celebrity presence (5%) and clarity of message (3%).

Here’s what some viewers had to say: 

• "I like how the Just Eat ads are fun and upbeat. The music sticks in your head, the visuals are colourful, and the food looks really tasty. It makes ordering feel exciting, not just convenient."

• "I like the music and the people in the advert. I really liked that he visits different people, families etc."

• "Loved the music and the flow of the advert. It told a story and the story was connected to the product."

• "The catchy tune with Craig David, the bright colours used in the houses. It was fun and comical."

• "I liked the music and celebrity guest appearance from Craig David. The characters were diverse and relatable, showing that delivery apps like justeat are for everyone."

• "I like that it’s fun and colourful and that Craig David brings a nostalgic, upbeat vibe. I also like how it shows a variety of people and homes, making it feel inclusive, relatable and lighthearted."

• "I like the main character that was singing the Just Eat tune, it was fun, relatable and showcasing inclusivity, making it clear that everyone has something to enjoy from ordering food from Just Eat."

Dislikes:

The most common dislike expressed was pacing (11% of respondents), indicating concerns with the length, speed or flow of the ad. Music and the people/characters were also mentioned by 4% of respondents as a key dislike. Where people love the music and Craig David, it’s highly successful. Where these elements don’t resonate, the ad is long and repetitive causing a lack of appreciation

Here’s what some viewers had to say: 

• "I didn’t like the length of the advert. I felt like after 30-40 seconds it got very repetitive and the song was dragging along. I also didn’t understand who the celebrity was and would have preferred a more mainstream artist in the place of the singer."

• "It's long and I don't care for the song."

• "All a bit fast paced."

• “Craig David sitting on that woman’s bath is creepy.” 

• “I do not like Craig David at all.” 

While this spot was polarizing among different age groups, the spot resonated very well and was well-loved by the primary user of the brand’s app and still saw positive responses and recall for the campaign — signaling an overall success for the brand!

What a great use of music and celebrity in this spot from Just Eat! What did you think? Let us know by interacting with our coverage of the ad on LinkedIn.

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