Munz Art Basel: JvM’s Chocolate Banana as Urban Art

Munz Art Basel: Is this art, or is it just a snack?

Anyone who was at Art Basel last week could hardly miss Munz. The Swiss chocolate brand from Maestrani drew on an iconic motif for its appearance at the world-famous art fair: «Comedian,» the famous banana artwork by artist Maurizio Cattelan. The campaign combined classic outdoor advertising with a direct experience in the urban space—thereby turning Munz into «snackable content» in the truest sense of the word.

A contextual idea at just the right moment

The campaign, developed by Jung von Matt Limmat, consisted of two elements: On the one hand, large-format posters were displayed throughout the city of Basel during the art fair. On the other hand, real Munz bananas were affixed to public spaces—a direct allusion to the original, in which Cattelan’s «Comedian» literally becomes an edible encounter. Passersby were able to take the chocolate bananas with them and enjoy them.

This campaign demonstrates just how effective a context-driven idea can be when implemented at the right time and in the right place. The connection between the cultural event of Art Basel, the well-known art reference, and the product itself resulted in a campaign that worked equally well on billboards and within the physical exhibition space.

Cheeky Chocolate Tinkerers with Munz at Art Basel

Cordula Glasmacher, Head of Branding & Communications at Maestrani, says of the campaign: «Our cheeky chocolate tinkerers never stop developing cult products in their very own way—and reaching new target groups with Munz in the process!» The Creative Directors at Jung von Matt Limmat, Dominique Magnusson and Holly Becker, add: «Stolen ideas have a bad reputation, but good quotes are an art form in their own right.»

Responsible at Maestrani Swiss chocolates: Cordula Glasmacher, Head of Branding & Communications. Agency: Jung von Matt Limmat. Other partners: blish, Jung von Matt Impact, The Generation Media.