Oatly Vanilla Custard wasn’t a core focus for the UK market in 2024 — until a single, unexpected Instagram DM changed everything.
That DM came from UK rap icon Giggs proclaiming his love for Oatly’s Vanilla Custard (especially with cake) and explaining the frustrations that he and his son, who both have dairy allergies, face when trying to find their favourite custard on supermarket shelves and in restaurants.
Inspired by this message, the Swedish plant-based company took the opportunity to raise awareness around lactose intolerance and the inaccessibility of dairy-free products by transforming a personal request into a bold, culture-shifting collaboration: 'Custard by Giggs.'
Oatly's brief to Jellyfish was simple - Make Londoners and Brits excited about this unexpected partnership whilst addressing multiple challenges:
Media Targeting
Lactose Intolerance
Dessert Culture
Objectives:
The core idea was to transform a simple, authentic moment—a personal DM from Giggs—into a culturally relevant campaign positioning Oatly Vanilla Custard as a must-have for lactose-intolerant dessert lovers.
The strategy centered on leveraging Giggs' credibility, influence, and music culture connection to engage a wider audience and position Oatly Vanilla Custard as both cool and inclusive. The key insight was that people with lactose intolerance often feel they’re missing out on desserts, finding it difficult to find alternatives in-store. Giggs' story gave this insight a face and voice, turning a niche frustration into a relatable, shareable cultural moment.
By connecting dessert culture, Giggs' fanbase, and Oatly’s playful tone, we tackled a real problem while keeping the campaign engaging, accessible, and authentic.
The media strategy aimed to build pre-event hype, create a standout launch moment, and sustain engagement throughout the campaign:
Hype - 14-17 Nov:
Launch - 20 Nov :
Sustain - 18 Nov - 3 Dec
Media Strategy: A robust digital media mix drove visibility across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube (including Shorts), Spotify, and Vevo.
Production: Oatly’s in-house creative team and Giggs produced a series of video assets with production company Prettybird, directed by Kelvin Jones, a South London filmmaker known for his rap and urban storytelling expertise. Four creative treatments were produced: ‘Queue,' 'Cake Tasting,' 'Doorbell,' and 'Yardmen’ and adapted for each channel.
Organic strategy: Both Oatly and Giggs actively leveraged their social channels, sharing visually engaging posts that showcased the collaboration while sparking conversations within their communities. An added layer of influencers also saw notable profiles receive a kit and share via their own social media platforms (via Stories) such: Raheem Stirling, Jorja Smith, D Double E, Zeze Mills, Jordan Stephens, Central Cee, Harry Pinero, Estelle, Rachel Ama, Alfie Cooks, Knucks.
Key Lessons from Success:
This authentic brand partnership exceeded all expectations:
Media:
Paid media delivered 77% more reach than forecast
The campaign was picked up across music culture, media industry, plant food and London publications and shared on Socials 3.5M times.
Organic:
The response was overwhelmingly positive, with enthusiastic comments pouring in, highlighting the excitement and support from fans of both Oatly and Giggs.
TikTok/Instagram/YouTube
Share of Search increased to 30% (from 25%), surpassing Tea and Oatly’s lead competitor such as Alpro for the first time in 2024.
A Search Lift Study conducted by Google/YouTube saw that users who were exposed to Giggs' YouTube campaign were 168% more likely to search for Oatly keywords than those who were not exposed to the campaign.
Event: The exclusive one-day pop-up event was hosted at a bakery in South London, where hundreds of eager fans queued up to experience Custard with Giggs. Cake and custard kits were distributed raising awareness and driving product trial.
