TL;DR: Hovis returns with ‘Strength Baked In’—a moving new campaign from VCCP, directed by Zak Razvi and soundtracked by Sam Fender.
LONDON— A boy offers toast to a muralist repainting a faded Hovis sign on a brick wall. No voiceover, no product shot. Just a lingering glance, set to Sam Fender’s Remember My Name, played by a northern brass band. The scene unfolds in silence—and with purpose.
This is Strength Baked In, the first major brand campaign from Hovis in over a decade. After six years off-air and a long absence from cultural conversation, the heritage bread brand is attempting something few legacy brands do well: a comeback rooted in restraint.
Developed by agency VCCP, the campaign traces its narrative through Britain’s industrial towns—Preston, Stockport, Nottingham—using hand-painted ghost signs as visual anchors. These weathered murals don’t just decorate the backdrop. They *are* the brand story: signals of continuity, resilience, and quiet presence in a country where trust in institutions has frayed.
Zak Razvi, the film’s director, avoids nostalgia’s easy shorthand. The tone is observational, documentary-like. The cast is unpolished. There are no slogans or overt brand claims. Instead, Hovis presents itself as a familiar presence still worthy of attention—if not yet affection.
A Brand Repositioning, Not a Rebrand
This isn’t a reimagining of Hovis. It’s a recalibration.
Founded in 1886 in Macclesfield, Hovis built its name on quality, accessibility, and national reach. Its Latin-inspired name—Hominis Vis, meaning “the strength of man”—once felt proudly industrial. Over time, that industrial strength softened into heritage marketing, sustained largely by the cultural afterglow of Ridley Scott’s 1973 “boy on the bike” advert.
But in the years since, the brand slipped into stasis. Warburtons captured the top spot with mass distribution and Hollywood-led campaigns. Supermarket own-labels eroded margins. Consumers, increasingly driven by price, health claims, and specialty bread formats, left Hovis with recognition, but little relevance.
Financially, the turnaround is underway. In the 53 weeks ending September 2023, Hovis reported revenue of £489 million and an operating profit of £3.2 million—up from a £24.5 million loss the previous year. EBITDA improved to £26.8 million, suggesting early returns on a strategic reset. Yet the brand still lags behind competitors in product innovation and market share.
Relevance Through Restraint
What makes this campaign notable is not its aesthetic, but its intent. “Strength Baked In” is less a brand narrative than a repositioning. It’s Hovis asserting presence without provocation.
“We’re recommitting to the values Hovis has always stood for—strength in community, authenticity, and resilience,” said Mark Brown, CMO at Hovis. “That commitment has sparked transformation across the business—from creative strategy to internal culture.”
To ground the messaging, the agency enlisted journalist Clive Martin to explore how “strength” manifests in Britain today. The insights, rooted in Nottingham—home to one of Hovis’s largest bakeries—revealed a cultural shift: away from bravado and toward quiet perseverance. It is this idea, not bread itself, that Hovis hopes will resonate.
The campaign extends across TV, digital, social, and in-store channels. But it does not follow the visual language of contemporary FMCG. There are no fast cuts, influencers, or stylised food shots. Even the typeface used in the mural, pulled from old shop signage, forgoes trend.
Campaign and Business Strategy
Yet bread is not a lifestyle product. It is a habitual purchase in a commodified category. Most shoppers still buy what’s visible, affordable, and available. Emotion alone rarely moves the needle.
“Strength Baked In” will succeed with the next steps, a stretch across the business. That means new SKUs reflecting modern health concerns—fibre, protein, gut health. It means packaging that balances heritage with clarity. And it means consistent retail execution.
Without this follow-through, the campaign may register as a beautifully crafted intermission, not the beginning of a new chapter.
Hovis is not trying to be fashionable. It is trying to be meaningful. That alone distinguishes this work from a landscape of celebrity endorsements and supermarket shouting. But creative restraint must be matched by commercial precision.
A legacy brand has reminded the country it still exists. And a brand platform with restrained nostalgia baked in will surely add strength to Hovis’ market share in the years to come.
Credits
Campaign title: Strength Baked In
Client: Hovis
Advertising agency: VCCP
Deputy Executive Creative Director: Matt Lloyd
Creative Directors: Colin McKean & Emma Houlston
Senior Creatives: Sophia Johnson & Sophie Szilady
Business Director: Ed Maxwell
Account Director: Lucy Williams
Account Manager: Stella Wharmby
Chief Strategy Officer: Max Keane
Planning Director: Matt Hayes
Agency TV Producers: Rory Calder & Simon Plant
Agency Creative Producer: Matt Hearn
Media Buying Agency: Medialab
Production Company: Girl&Bear
Director: Zak Razvi
Executive Producer: Simon Plant
Producer: Rory Calder
Editor: Rich Woolway @ STITCH
Post-production Company: ETC
Post Producer: George Blomiley
Colourist: Jason Wallis
Audio Post-production Company: King Lear
Sound Engineer: Ed Downham
PR: Clarion
Social: We Are Freak
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