Ben & Jerry's to young people: Eat your feelings

Here's a campaign that kicked off in Singapore with the 30-second video clip above and will continue on the brand's online and social channels (here's an Instagram post) over the next two months. It's also set to go regional, according to the brand.

Someone at Unilever and/or its agency* has clearly read up on "adulting". So much so that the website for the campaign discusses a series of challenging "adulting moments"—dreadfully onerous situations such as having to fold laundry, needing to renew your drivers license, or having to cook food (the horror!). You will not be surprised to learn that Ben & Jerry's believes all of these moments "can be made better with our tried-and-true remedy: a hearty scoop (or two) of ice cream".

Now, Ad Nut enjoys Ben & Jerry's as much as the next creature (butter pecan or yummy walnut-filled Chunky Monkey, naturally) and realizes this campaign is intended as tongue-in-cheek.

But still, Ad Nut wonders whether Unilever could be opening itself to criticism with advice like this:

Says Ellen Yap, marketing manager for foods and refreshment with Unilever Singapore:

We hope to serve up more positivity to young adults and encourage them to learn to unwind and smile, even when faced with making challenging decisions.

That sounds reasonable enough. And to be perfectly frank about it, getting people to indulge once in a while is the brand's very business model, so this may be a successful campaign. However, Ad Nut cautions against pushing so blatently on the whole "something minor goes wrong, so eat some ice cream to make it all better" angle.

It goes without saying that eating ice cream straight out of the container is the perfect thing after, say, a nasty breakup. But if you're going to scarf down a pint every time you have to face folding some t-shirts...you'll soon be the chunky monkey. And you'll be shopping for larger shirts.

Finally, Ad Nut does not appreciate the nightmare-fuel of those eyeless, talking spoons, with their disturbing metallic lips. Shudder.

* Ad Nut has asked which agencies are involved and will update this post if Unilever shares.

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for some unknown reason has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over the world and presents them for your viewing pleasure. Because Ad Nut loves you. Need more ads? Visit Ad Nut's colleagues: Campaign UK | Campaign US | Campaign India | Campaign Turkey | Campaign Middle East