Brand Messages From The Australian Jungle
Ad Alliance is pleased to welcome legacy and new advertising partners for “I’m a Celebrity – Get Me Out of Here!”.
The advertising jungle once again opens its gates this coming Friday evening, when twelve contestants are welcomed with a live “Welcome to Australia” on RTL and via the RTL+ livestream. Besides the celebrities announced earlier, a range of brands including the food brand Maggi, the online classifieds platform Kleinanzeigen, the discount retailer Penny, the poultry brand Gutfried, the dairy dessert brand Zott Monte, the fast-food chain McDonald’s, and the baking ingredients brand RUF have also been swept up by jungle fever and have booked special product and service activations for “Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus!”. These brands have long been an integral part of the TV show and are now just as much a fixture of the jungle as the presenting duo Sonja Zietlow and Jan Köppen and the show’s medical companion, Dr. Bob. RTL Deutschland’s ad sales company Ad Alliance has once again developed creative activations that seamlessly link the storytelling of the country’s most popular reality show with brand messages – both on linear TV and in streaming.
‘The jungle remains the advertising highlight at the start of the year’
“The jungle stands for campfire moments, communal viewing, and watercooler talk the next morning. Brands don’t just advertise in the jungle – they become part of the storytelling and the fandom,” says Lars-Eric Mann, Chief Marketing Officer at Ad Alliance. “That’s why I’m particularly pleased to see so many partners involved again this year, from long-standing partners to new, creative activations that are increasingly being extended to RTL+. The jungle remains the advertising highlight at the start of the year.”
New this year is the “situational XXL framesplit,” which offers brands even greater visibility and a truly standout presence at just the right moment. This special advertising format places a banner frame around the reduced TV image during the live broadcast. “Situational” and “XXL” underline how prominently the format is positioned and how closely it is aligned with the current program or target audience. The high-impact format integrates seamlessly into the jungle’s narrative world and offers additional branding space for customized brand messages. Several partners will be using it for the first time on RTL this year, with extensions to RTL+.
Special advertising formats in the jungle
Ad Alliance is introducing the “Food Drop Move” as a new jungle advertising special this year, in which food is lowered from above in a basket. Following the motto “Lower the basket, bring in the brand,” the advertised product moves into the spotlight after a successfully completed jungle challenge – not physically, of course, but through graphic animation. The sequence then transitions seamlessly into a jungle-themed TV commercial in the “pre-split” position, airing immediately after the program and just before the commercial break.
A broad range of advertising partners is represented in the RTL jungle this year. Maggi, for instance, is marking a double premiere. The heritage brand is appearing in special advertising formats for the first time and is also using the new “situational XXL framesplits,” featuring humorous claims such as “Don’t cry, just fry” and “Endlich FRY-heit” (FRY-dom at last). The activations are closely integrated into the show and designed with a clear sense of humor.
Discount retailer Penny is also entering the jungle environment for the first time and is doing so with the new “situational XXL framesplit.” Lines such as “Lieber kein Beef?” (No beef, then?) and “Noch mehr Stars entdecken” (Discover even more stars) strike a chord with fans while putting the spotlight on Penny’s private labels and its brand claim “Erstmal zu Penny” (Try Penny first). Penny is also using “situational cut-ins.” These short on-screen insertions appear at the edge of the screen during the program and are timed precisely to match the current content, increasing impact through contextual relevance.
Jungle premiere featuring ‘Food Drop Move’
The dairy dessert brand Zott Monte also celebrates its jungle premiere this year while simultaneously returning to TV with a new commercial. In its newly introduced “Food Drop Move” ad special, Zott Monte appears at a key food-drop moment after a successfully completed jungle challenge, positioned in a basket high up in the treetops from the show’s familiar camera perspective and slowly descending toward the jungle floor. The format puts milk cream desserts and a sandwich ice cream clearly in focus, and is followed up with a new, jungle-themed commercial.
McDonald’s remains a fixture of the jungle camp. The fast-food chain is prominently featured with “situational cut-ins,” “situational special framesplits,” and an extension to RTL+. The focus is on its McSmart menu, with product placement again playing a central role this year. After days of deprivation and a sparse diet, an eliminated contestant is treated to a stop at a McDonald’s restaurant, which viewers can watch.
Situational framesplits with a new campaign message
The online classifieds platform Kleinanzeigen is using the jungle camp as an authentic stage to showcase its current campaign claim, “Echte Deals. Echte Menschen.” (Real deals. Real people). The brand uses “situational framesplits” to pick up on typical jungle moments and playfully connect them to its own platform world – including on RTL+. The campaign message highlights real encounters as a deliberate counterpoint to an increasingly digital, often anonymous online world. The jungle camp provides an ideal setting for this, with genuine emotions, quirky situations, and enough contrast to present the brand in a charming way.
The baking ingredients brand RUF Lebensmittelwerk is also taking part again as a co-sponsor. Its “Glücklichmacher” (Feel-Good Treats) range – from winter-edition mug puddings and angel cream to the summery “Glücklichmacher Smooth To Drink”– adds charming accents to the show’s environment. The poultry brand Gutfried is likewise returning as a co-sponsor, continuing its long-standing presence in the jungle setting. Just in time for the season launch, the brand is bringing the cult snack of the 1990s back to market with the “Junior-Lieblings-Snackbox.” Marketed as the perfect “Snackpause im Dschungel” (jungle snack break), the product is aimed at both young and old.
“Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus!” airs daily live from Friday, 23 January, at 8:15 p.m. on RTL and RTL+.
