BITE Insight

Around 45% of the world’s population are bilingual. However, it is safe to say that many of those people will speak global languages; languages that can, and often do, translate across different continents and countries.

So, imagine creating a TV ad that would be broadcast to over 60 million people, in a language that only 500 people actually speak? This is exactly what Kelly’s of Cornwall and isobel did last year with their ground-breaking ad voiced entirely in Cornish.

The succeeding ads created for 2017 see Kelly’s and isobel launching the School of Cornish. They have created four slots designed for TV and social that further promote the uniqueness of Cornwall and the Cornish language, as well as promoting Kelly’s range of take home ice cream.

Voiced by Dawn French, one of Cornwall’s most famous residents, the ads give budding linguists words they can use when visiting the county. The ads provide humorous, Cornwall-specific depictions of the words. An ice cream dropping on the floor isn’t a disaster everywhere but it is in Cornwall; a passing local is a bemused looking black and white cow; and loneliness is felt by a solitary scarecrow in a field.

The ads were designed to encourage people to #SpeakCornish, just as government cuts were removing Cornish lessons from schools in the county. The purpose of the School of Cornish was to make Kelly’s a national treasure brand, and to offer linguistic lessons along the way.