The Story Behind a Loaf of Bread

I know I’m not in the minority by saying I usually tune out when ads come on during the TV show I’m watching. We all do it, right? But sometimes I see or hear something that makes me stop and take notice.

The William’s “Bred for Taste” bread ad definitely falls into that category.

Seduced initially by the beautiful lilting music at the beginning of the ad, I started watching a young couple (referencing ex-convict William Cripps and his wife Eliza) walking slowly through wheat fields early one morning. The ad then cuts to iconic Tasmanian landscapes, with mountainous scenes giving way to a trickling spring and then cuts to the couple dancing. Next we see Cripps hauling flour for his loaves and baking them in the oven, with the classic loaf breaking in half scene and Cripps sprinkling seeds on top of the still-warm loaves finishing the story.

All of this happens in 30 seconds, which is testament to Cripps’ storytelling ability. Cripps has been a Tasmanian baker for 170 years, so has a lot of material to draw from. Indeed, Cripps aligns itself as a classic Tasmanian brand, using words like “identity”, “spirit” and “heritage” in its marketing for this line of bread.

So why am I telling you all this about a loaf of bread? Because this is storytelling at its best. It’s about something most of us consume daily, yet this simple product has been advertised in such a way that paints a vivid picture of a young couple in love, making a new life and creating a new business to support that life in the wildly beautiful Tasmania.

Next time you’re putting together some marketing for your business, think about how you can connect with your audience on a deeper level by telling a story. Tell them the story behind the product’s development, or how you came up with the idea for your service from a casual conversation. Take your audience behind the scenes and they will love you for it.