Yorkshire Tea launches its latest ad with mystery 'brewdunnit' plot

Back in 2017, Yorkshire Tea launched its extremely successful and comedic campaign, 'Where Everything's Done Proper'. It has since welcomed countless stars into its team, from Sir Patrick Stewart, Sean Bean, and Sir Michael Parkinson to the Brownlee Brothers, Dynamo, and the Kaiser Chiefs.

Since its inception, Yorkshire Tea has collaborated with creative media company Lucky Generals on the campaign, winning over tea lovers and judges alike with a Grand Effie and a Gold IPA award. "The campaign has been hugely successful for Yorkshire Tea, helping them become the UK's #1 brew, so yeah, it was a case of, let's have some more of that, please," says Lucky Generals creative director Nick Bird.

Creative director Lee Smith adds, "We opened up the field a bit and (being an equal opportunities employer) were keen on exploring people beyond Yorkshire—even if it's just a bit beyond."

This latest ad—which hit TV screens this week—introduces Sarah Lancashire CBE as the newest recruit of the Yorkshire Tea team, fulfilling a job that only she can do. Best known for her role in BBC's Happy Valley as non-nonsense copper Catherine Cawood, Lancashire is once again taking on the bad guys as head of security at Yorkshire Tea's head office, demonstrating how the brand only employs the best and is doing things' proper'.

In the ad, the staff over at Yorkshire Tea HQ find that the biccies have gone walkabout, so it falls to Lancashire to find the culprit. After giving poor old Barry the third degree and dragging out cheese triangle confessions from Anya, she hunts down the culprit via CCTV and a carelessly discarded wrapper. But, just as the case looks to be done and dusted, a missing stapler sees Yorkshire Tea's new head of security back on the case.

"You have to get the brand voice right when you get into the writing," says Bird. "We spend a fair bit of time up at Yorkshire Tea HQ in Harrogate, and the canteen is gold for observing the people that work there, listening to their patter, embracing that straightforward Yorkshire way of saying things, but always with a wink and a smile."

Smith further explains how Lucky Generals helped create "a distinct voice in their comms", which is visible everywhere, from their pack copy to their TV ads. He adds: "In terms of the new TV spot, nothing was off the table, and we had a lot of fun exploring everyone, from fictional characters to cartoons.

"We also always have a good percentage of real Yorkshire Tea staff featured in the ads. We run a casting session for them and try to get as many in as the script requires, which was about 20 this time."

"We're chuffed to bits with our new ad and hope that everyone loves it as much as we do," says Yorkshire Tea senior brand manager Lucy Hoyle. "Yorkshire Tea is the home of Where Everything's Done Proper, and just as our advertising has gained momentum over the last seven years, so too has the nation's appreciation of a proper Brew.