Hovis turns back clock to reconnect with modern Britain

Hovis is returning to TV advertising for the first in six years with a new campaign designed to celebrate how the brand’s values are still as relevant today as they were when the first loaves rolled out of the bakery nearly 140 years ago.

The “Strength Baked In” campaign, the first work from VCCP since it won the account in 2024, marks a return to the values first baked into the brand which started mass production in Macclesfield in 1886 – reconnecting Hovis with modern Britain.

The activity is centred around a new film, which was directed by Zak Razvi, and produced by VCCP’s global content creation studio Girl&Bear.

The 40” spot traces a cinematic path through Hovis’ ‘ghost signs’, still visible on brick walls across towns like Stockport and Preston, using them as a visual thread to tell the real stories of everyday strength and resilience from the people who live around them.

The film culminates in the painting of a new Hovis mural, watched by a young boy who offers the painter a slice of toast in an act of solidarity; seen as a modern nod to the iconic boy on the bike, reimagined for a new generation.

The soundtrack that accompanies the film is Sam Fender’s Remember My Name’ which features the Easington Colliery Band.

The new brand platform returns to Hovis’ roots and its foundation in 1886 by Richard ‘Stoney’ Smith, who wanted to create better quality bread for the nation.

The name Hovis was chosen following a national competition, inspired by the Latin phrase ‘Hominis Vis’ – meaning ‘the strength of man’. From the very beginning, strength has been baked into its identity – not just in the quality of the bread, but in the role the brand has played in supporting Britain through every chapter of its history, from donating Spitfires in wartime to supporting food banks today.

In addition to the campaign film, VCCP commissioned an original piece of research from Vice journalist Clive Martin exploring strength in modern Britain – anchored in Nottingham, home to one of Hovis’ largest bakeries.

The resulting insights found that many people across the UK feel that strength is not just a word – it is a value that is more relevant than ever. In a post-austerity, post-Covid, post-Brexit world, people are finding strength in community and resilience in adversity. The insights laid the foundation for the campaign strategy: a celebration of the enduring strength of Hovis and the nation.

The campaign will be running across multiple channels including TV, social, digital and in-store channels.

Hovis chief marketing officer Mark Brown said: “‘Strength Baked In’ is a recommitment to the values Hovis has always stood for – strength in community, authenticity, and resilience. And that commitment sparked a genuine transformation across the business – bringing fresh energy not just to creative strategy, but to product development, innovation, and internal culture.”

VCCP creative directors Emma Houlston and Colin McKean added: “Handpainted Hovis signs have adorned brick walls across the nation for over 100 years. We wanted to celebrate these beautiful symbols of endurance and the resilience of the people who pass by them every day. Those wise, weathered Hovis signs have seen it all, reminding us we all carry strength, even in the toughest times.”