The "Just Amore" campaign by Just Eat, developed by AKQA for the Italian market in 2019, leverages a narrative approach to align the brand with values of inclusivity and individual freedom. By portraying the unconventional love story between a slice of pizza and a pineapple, the campaign challenges traditional food preferences, using this metaphor to highlight the brand’s broader message that “no match is a wrong match.” This positions Just Eat not only as a food delivery service but as an advocate for personal choice and diversity, reinforcing its relevance beyond mere convenience.
Strategically, the campaign capitalizes on Just Eat's official sponsorship of Milan Pride 2019, integrating the brand into a culturally significant event that celebrates freedom, acceptance, and diversity. The insight underlying this approach is the understanding that consumers increasingly seek brands reflecting social values and authentic support for inclusion. Targeting an audience that resonates with progressive, open-minded ideals, especially within the LGBTQ+ community and its allies, the campaign uses the symbolic food pairing to create an emotional connection and spark conversation. The creative angle—turning a traditionally divisive food topic into a metaphor for acceptance—engages consumers both visually and conceptually, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to celebrating uniqueness and choice. This strategy enhances brand affinity by intertwining product relevance with cultural meaning, positioning Just Eat as a socially conscious brand attuned to contemporary issues and community values.
FORMAT#3 SYMBOLIZE THE PROBLEM — Uses symbols or analogies to represent the problem instead of showing it literally.
This campaign, “Just Amore,” uses the struggling love story between a slice of pizza and a pineapple as an allegory for divisive opinions around food choices—specifically, the contentious “pineapple on pizza” debate. Instead of directly depicting people debating or being excluded for their preferences, the narrative personifies ingredients as star-crossed lovers, symbolizing the societal “problem” of judgment and exclusion. This transforms a polarizing food pairing into an uplifting symbol for freedom of choice and acceptance, perfectly aligning with Pride’s themes. The use of metaphor and symbolism to spotlight a cultural issue (and by reflection, support Milan Pride’s messaging) is the hallmark of the “Symbolize the Problem” creative device.
ADVERTISING FORMATS EXPLAINED: https://www.clapboard.com/blog/branding-and-advertising/brand-strategy/12-advertising-creative-formats
1. Deliveroo – Market Positioning
Deliveroo positions itself as a premium food delivery service focusing on speed, quality, and a curated selection of high-end and local restaurants. It emphasizes technology-driven convenience and a superior customer experience, targeting urban customers seeking timely meals from diverse culinary options.
2. Glovo – Market Positioning
Glovo markets itself as an on-demand delivery platform that goes beyond food, offering delivery of groceries, pharmacy items, and more. Its key differentiator is versatility and strong urban market penetration, appealing to consumers wanting a one-stop shop for various delivery needs.
3. Uber Eats – Market Positioning
Uber Eats leverages Uber’s extensive ride-sharing network to offer fast, reliable food delivery with a focus on convenience and wide restaurant variety. The brand targets tech-savvy consumers valuing seamless integration with Uber’s app ecosystem and frequent promotions.
4. Justfood – Market Positioning
Justfood emphasizes a localized approach to food delivery within Italy, partnering closely with neighborhood eateries to provide authentic, fresh Italian cuisine. Their strategy is rooted in building community trust and supporting smaller food businesses over big chains.
5. Foodora (now Burrito or merged under other brands in some markets) – Market Positioning
Foodora distinguished itself through a strong emphasis on customer service and premium restaurant partnerships, positioning as a lifestyle brand. It appeals to millennials seeking trendy food experiences and reliable delivery within metropolitan areas, highlighting quality and choice.
Q: What is Just Amore about?
A: Just Amore is a professional campaign created by AKQA for Just Eat, launched in Italy in June 2019. It is a film medium campaign within the Food industry that tells a playful and heartfelt love story between a slice of pizza and a pineapple. This narrative serves as a metaphor for freedom of choice and acceptance, supporting Just Eat’s official sponsorship of Milan Pride 2019. The campaign celebrates diversity and inclusivity by challenging divisive food opinions and aligning the brand with values of love and identity during a culturally significant event.
Q: What creative device does Just Amore use?
A: Just Amore employs the creative device classified by Clapboard as Format 3: Symbolize the Problem. This technique uses symbolism and analogy to represent a societal issue rather than depicting it literally. In this case, the campaign personifies a slice of pizza and a pineapple as star-crossed lovers to symbolize the contentious debate around food preferences, specifically pineapple on pizza. This metaphor highlights themes of judgment, exclusion, and ultimately acceptance, aligning the campaign’s message with Milan Pride’s celebration of freedom and inclusivity.
Q: What is the campaign proposition for Just Amore?
A: The campaign proposition for Just Amore positions Just Eat as a brand that champions inclusivity and personal freedom through its food delivery service. By portraying the unconventional love story between pizza and pineapple, the campaign challenges traditional food norms and conveys that no match is a wrong match. Targeting progressive and open-minded consumers, especially within the LGBTQ+ community and allies, Just Eat aligns itself with values of diversity and acceptance, enhancing emotional connection and cultural relevance beyond convenience in the competitive food delivery market.
Q: How does Just Amore rank in Clapboard's archive?
A: Just Amore holds a Clapboard Campaign Score of 76/100. This score reflects the campaign’s creative ambition, execution quality, and cultural relevance as assessed by Clapboard’s global ad archive. The rating indicates the campaign’s effective use of metaphor and narrative to engage audiences emotionally while supporting a significant cultural event, demonstrating a well-rounded approach to brand communication within the Food industry.
Q: Who are the competitors in Just Eat's category?
A: Just Eat competes with several key players in the food delivery sector, each with distinct market positioning. Deliveroo emphasizes premium quality, speed, and curated restaurant selections targeting urban customers. Glovo offers versatile on-demand delivery beyond food, appealing to consumers seeking a one-stop delivery platform. Uber Eats leverages its ride-sharing network to provide fast, reliable service with broad restaurant variety for tech-savvy users. Justfood focuses on localized Italian cuisine and community trust by partnering with neighborhood eateries. Foodora, now merged or rebranded in some markets, positioned itself as a lifestyle brand with premium restaurant partnerships aimed at millennials seeking trendy food experiences.
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