Be bold. Be meaty. Be… followed by sheep?

Peperami launches its new ‘Be Bold. Be Meaty.’ brand platform with a campaign from Fearless Union, telling the story of a struggling young English barber who takes the bold and meaty step of giving sheep mullets to realise his business dreams.

Following the return of the iconic ‘Animal’ in recent years, Peperami is now evolving its creative approach beyond its established role in family lunchboxes and the product-led work of the past two years, with a deliberate shift towards engaging a younger audience of 18 to 25-year-olds. While ‘Animal’ remains part of the brand’s world, the new campaign signals a move away from previous campaigns towards a more grounded, emotionally driven storytelling style.

The platform taps into a generation navigating an uncertain world, ambitious but facing real barriers – and encourages them to embrace a more fearless, unapologetic attitude, rooted in Peperami’s irreverent and anarchic DNA. By responding with humour, attitude and authenticity, Peperami is positioning itself as a snack that fits naturally into the lives and mindsets of younger consumers.

With more than 150 pieces of content overall, the campaign is expansive and lives well beyond the hero film. It also sees Micah Richards, one of the boldest and meatiest personalities in football, front and centre of a social-first content series set to drop as the World Cup approaches. Built around bold opinions, bigger energy and incomparable footie chat, and set inside a stripped-back Peperami world, Richards and co-host, influencer Specs Gonzalez, will react to fan-submitted questions and dilemmas, with Richards delivering bold and meaty solutions in his inimitable style. The series is supported by additional influencer talent, including two further creators, alongside a steady stream of UGC and an always-on content layer designed to keep the campaign live and culturally relevant for six months.

The hero film, directed by Chris Balmond of Arts & Sciences, tells the story of a young barber living and working in a remote rural town, struggling to make his mark. Shot in a gritty, cinematic style reminiscent of British social realism, the ad follows his moment of inspiration.

After a sheep tells him to “be bold, be meaty” while he is eating a Peperami, he has a pretty unconventional idea to promote his business.

In true Peperami fashion, the solution is both anarchic and unexpected, giving a flock of sheep mullets and turning them into moving billboards for his barbershop. As the message spreads on social media the rural outpost becomes an unlikely hotspot, drawing eager crowds from the city.

Shorter cut downs and social versions also feature Richards. One sees him spotted in the queue outside the barbers, while the other has him actually getting himself a mullet. It will also feature a collaboration with Doritos, bringing together two iconic brands in a partnership that celebrates bold flavour and cultural impact.

Karina Carrico, the Head of Marketing at Peperami, said: “This campaign is about taking everything that makes Peperami distinctive - its attitude, its irreverence, its boldness - and making it resonate with a new generation. ‘Be Bold. Be Meaty.’ gives us a platform to show up in a way that feels more authentic, culturally relevant and genuinely meaningful, connecting with where people are and how they’re feeling, while still staying true to our roots.”