Hovis's Nostalgic "Strength Baked In" ad Scores Exceptional Across the Board

May. 29, 2025

Hovis’s latest "Strength Baked In" ad has scored exceptionally across all three of System1’s Test Your Ad metrics, including a 5.6 Star Rating, that signals strong potential for long-term brand growth. Seamlessly blending heritage and modernity, the ad showcases Hovis’s distinctive brand assets and enduring British identity, sparking positive emotion through a powerful mix of nostalgia and familiarity.

System1’s Star Rating predicts long-term brand growth and is calculated by measuring emotional response to each ad, with ads scoring between 1.0 and 5.9. Ads with a score of 5.0 or above are considered “exceptional”, whilst the average Star Rating for bakery products is 3.6.

The creative depicts scenes from everyday life in a Northern English town, interspersed by a series of vintage “Hovis” wall murals. Culminating with a young boy offering a sandwich to one of the hard-working mural painters, the advert blends the timeless sentiment of human connection with British nostalgia to evoke a strong emotional response.

Along with achieving a 5.6 Star Rating, the creative also earned a 1.58 Spike Rating and a Fluency Rating of 96%, both of which are deemed as “exceptional”. While Spike Rating indicates short-term sales and activation potential, Fluency measures the strength of branding of an ad.

This isn’t the first time Hovis has tapped into British nostalgia to create an emotionally evocative advert. In 1973, the brand released the Ridley Scott-directed ‘Boy On A Bike’, depicting boy pushing a bread-laden bicycle up a picturesque English cobbled street. The creative, which was recognised as Britain’s favourite TV advert, was remastered and re-released to audiences in 2019, scoring an exceptional 5 Star Rating with System1.

Many other Hovis creatives incorporate elements of nostalgia, including traditional Northern British landscapes, familiar brand assets, and Hovis’s comforting tagline, "As Good Today As It’s Always Been".

Jon Evans, Chief Customer Officer at System1, said:

"Brands are often tempted to reinvent the wheel, but Hovis shows that tradition, consistency and familiarity remain powerful drivers of positive consumer sentiment. This is a brand deeply embedded in British history and culture, and their latest campaign is a compelling reminder that they’re here to stay. The contrast between modern skylines and historic murals beautifully illustrates Hovis’s enduring presence in the UK, an iconic household name that continues to resonate across generations."