Advertising figures are creations that actually have only one purpose: They should generate attention for a brand or a product. Herr Kaiser made his face available to an insurance company, Clementine used to stand in for a detergent, and the fruit dwarf mother popularized a yoghurt.
Few would have thought of developing their own interest in these art figures. It’s different with Kevin the Carrot. But Kevin is no ordinary character either: it is a cuddly carrot that advertises the British offshoot of the Aldi discount chain.
In 2016, Kevin made his first appearance in a commercial – and immediately won the hearts of the viewers: sales in the cheap market are said to have increased by 15.1 percent. Around one million viewers, it is said, were attracted to the stores by the advertising campaign.
Kevin did it single-handedly, he was initially a lonely carrot. Which should change over the years. Because a year later Katie appeared on the scene, belonging to the same vegetable genus. Kevin saved her from ending up in carrot soup on the Orient Express, and they’ve been a couple ever since. They are now parents of three children.
This year’s commercial is a homage to a famous namesake: Following the example of “Kevin – Alone at Home”, the carrot was forgotten by the wife and children at home. And similar to the Hollywood film, the vegetable Kevin also has to fend off a burglar.
Thanks to such nice short films, Kevin the Carrot has become very popular in the UK. When the discounter recently put a rag doll of the carrot on sale, the stores were overrun, people queued for hours to get a copy. Kevin even has his own Twitter account, where he is already followed by 17,000 people.
It looks like the Brits have found a new idol after the death of their revered Queen. The Queen is dead – long live Kevin the Carrot!
Sources used: Youtube, “Daily Mail”, “Daily Mail”, Twitter
