George Clooney joins Stallone and De Niro in Warburtons ad stardom

UK breadmaker Warburton’s unlikely Hollywood hotline has paid off once again, with A-list actor and toast of Tinseltown George Clooney playing a supporting role in the bakery brand’s latest advert. The minute-long commercial extends a series of high-profile coups by star-struck bakery boss Jonathan Warburton, who has already broken bread with Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone. Watch all the ads here.

Hollywood comes to Bolton

• The latest humorous showstopper from Warburtons sees Clooney attempt to field a Zoom call with a disinterested Warburton who, rather than engage with the star, elects to munch on a delicious slice of buttered toast.

• Boasting all the cinematography, production values and photography you would expect of a big-budget production, the ad includes effects such as slow-motion to ensure that the bread remains the real star of the show.

• Warburtons chairman Jonathan Warburton said: “We are thrilled to have George Clooney star in our latest campaign. Video calls have become a part of normal life for so many of us during the last year, but George Clooney popping up on screen was quite a surprise!

• “At Warburtons, we pride ourselves on the care that goes into making sure that every single loaf is as fresh and high-quality as possible. Quality is truly at the heart of our 145-year-old business, and this new ad is a real celebration of that passion, and we hope it will bring a smile to those watching.”

How? Why? What?

• The new campaign extends the Warburtons mantra that nobody should come in the way of a lunchtime sandwich, not even one of the most recognizable faces on the planet.

• A noted philanthropist, Clooney was more than willing to join the joke in return for a hefty donation to the Clooney Foundation for Justice.

• Billy Faithfull, chief creative officer at Engine, remarked: “To use internet-speak, we are ALL Jonathan Warburton in 2021. Faced with the choice between another Zoom call or a little me-and-toast-time, only a true baker, born and bred, would choose Toastie over Clooney. It’s the Warburtons family’s enduring obsession with quality that makes toast worth slamming a laptop shut on George Clooney for. If you wouldn’t, maybe you’re eating the wrong toast.”

• Clooney added: “It’s not every day your call is turned down for a slice of toast, but needless to say I had a lot of fun filming this spot.”

• Warburtons previously had a run-in with De Niro’s on-screen persona paying an unwelcome visit to Bolton in an attempt to muscle in on the baker’s bagel business.

• That followed an appearance by Sly Stallone in a 2015 commercial in which the Rambo star pitched his latest movie idea with Rocky himself serving as an ‘uncompromising Warburtons delivery driver commanding a crack squad of bakers hell-bent on being the best’.