Pasta purists might cringe at the thought of chocolate in a bolognese, or peas in a carbonara, but the new brand platform from Dolmio says ‘Dolmioooo-Yeahhhh!’ to whatever twist home chefs can cook up in the kitchen.

Based on the insight that many home cooks have their own, inauthentic but much-loved takes on classic pasta dishes, a new global brand campaign for Dolmio embraces the unique ways the sauce can be used.

With consumers confessing to adding anything including paprika, milk and even peanut butter to their spag bol, the household favourite is embracing uniqueness and has created a campaign that lends its sauce to be the base of any unique, family-favourite pasta creation.

The campaign has been created with the help of The&Partnership and marks a new direction for the brand. The campaign includes a fully reworked brand identity, updated logo and pack design, as well as a new global brand platform with the signature tagline, “Dolmioooo-Yeahhhh!”.

The concept is brought to life in a new campaign video which stars two new brand characters. As a home cook prepares his favourite pasta, he looks longingly toward his paprika. This is when the first brand character, a talking pasta shape, appears on one side of the chef representing the voice of the Italian pasta perfectionists worrying that things should be done ‘proper’ way. Yet, this thought is overruled by the second brand character, a talking spaghetti, who reassures him to take the paprika-ry plunge and eat pasta in the way that he enjoys.

The light-hearted film puts the Dolmio sauce front and centre, as the characters encourage audiences to do things their own way and enjoy Dolmio however they please, in the comfort of their own homes.

“Everyone has seen the Italian guy losing his mind on Tiktok about how Brits cook Italian food. Well, “Dolmio-Yeah” is the new platform encouraging us Brits to do it even more. Sorry Italian TikTok guy. The question was, how do you turn this insight into a long-term creative platform? Meet our little pasta mates, Yeah and Nahh,” explains Nick Moss & Dan Northcote-Smith, Creative Directors at The&Partnership.

The&Partnership developed the brand strategy and creative with the help of BAFTA-nominated directors Jonny and Will at Blinking. The duo helped bring the idea to life across TV, online video, and social. The campaign will be further amplified through PR and influencer activity coordinated by Ketchum and the brand visual identity was created by Elmwood.

By building on a popular social media trend and empowering audiences to cook how they please, Dolmio is able to solidify its position as a household staple. Supporting the creative, unique ways people engage with Dolmio, allows the brand to bring customers in on the joke and uses humour to connect with audiences. A light hearted approach in a time where laughter and joy is highly sought after.