Cazoo mines the timeless appeal of Barry From Eastenders

Cazoo’s ‘Turning Back Shaun Williamson’ sees the actor reappear as his famous character, while uncovering a car-related revelation.

It's been quite the month for subversive public-service campaigns, what with ‘The Life of Death and the Ensh*ttificator’ by the Norwegian Consumer Council dropping and Uncommon putting out a lifejacket for climate awareness, disguised as a celebrity stunt

Now, Cazoo and VCCP Roar have gotten in on the act, de-ageing EastEnders favourite Shaun Williamson back into ‘Barry’ using AI to demonstrate "clocking", the illegal-looking-but-surprisingly-legal act of winding back a vehicle's mileage.

The research, conducted among 310 UK dealers, found a few nuggets that shocked even us, as 60% believe clocking has increased and dealers estimate 14% of used vehicles may be affected.

Meanwhile, 90% support making it a specific offence.

Why it works

The de-aged visuals here are not just a gimmick, but rather used to enhance Cazoo’s core message. Everyone instantly understands why a younger-looking Shaun Williamson might be misleading, and that's exactly the point.

Albeit not in execution, thematically, the ad is similar to HSBC's ‘Identity Theft’ awareness work and other AI-enhanced campaigns.

Most issue-based brand campaigns rely on statistics, and some do that well (like Asics recently). But by using a clever visual metaphor and a bit of celebrity magic, VCCP Roar has nailed it here.