Surreal DACH Launch — Agency Creative Brief

The System — AI-Generated Output Agency Brief / Confidential

Creative Brief — For Agency Issuance

Surreal DACH
Launch Brief.

MarketsGermany + Netherlands

Launch windowQ3 2026

Budget€400K

90-day deadlineFirst OOH

Version1.0 — Draft

Background

Surreal is a British challenger cereal brand that has spent four years proving that the cereal category is structurally broken and that the people who've been eating the same options since childhood are ready for something different. The brand is built around a product reality — 20g protein, under 3g sugar — and a tone of voice that treats cereal marketing with the scepticism it deserves.

We have proven the model in the UK. REWE, Edeka, and premium gym retail in Germany and the Netherlands represent the next three years of growth. This brief covers the launch creative for the DACH entry — the first consumer-facing work produced specifically for this market.

Everything that worked in the UK was built on not sounding like anyone else in the category. That doesn't change in Germany. The adaptation challenge is making irreverence feel native, not translated.

Objective

Make Surreal the first cereal brand German consumers tell their friends about.

Single sentence. Underlined. This is the only brief that matters.

Target Audience — Three Personas

"The gym-goer who reads ingredient labels" Felix, 28, Berlin Mitte

Works in tech. CrossFit four times a week. Already buys protein powder, protein yoghurt, and protein bars as a matter of course. Has never found a cereal that earns a place in that routine. When he sees 20g protein on the box, he does the maths and it works. The wit on the packaging is a bonus — it confirms this isn't a supplement brand doing cereal badly.

"The remote worker who eats at their desk" Julia, 34, Hamburg / anywhere

Freelance creative. Breakfast is practical, not ceremonial. She's already abandoned legacy cereal because the sugar crash by 10am is incompatible with focus. She eats Skyr, sometimes eggs, and reads nutrition panels habitually. Surreal's numbers solve her problem. The brand's refusal to pretend cereal is aspirational is exactly the right tone for someone who's already given up on the category emotionally.

"The parent tired of explaining what Frosties are" Markus, 41, Munich

Two kids. Has been buying the same cereals his parents bought him and feels vaguely uncomfortable about it every time he reads the sugar content. Wants something he can justify to himself and that his kids will actually eat. Surreal's flavours (Coco, Frosted) are recognisable; the nutritional story is the permission slip he needs to switch. He doesn't need to be amused by the packaging — he needs the numbers.

Mandatories — Things We Always Do

Lead with the protein claim. 20g is the number. Make it unavoidable.

Show the ingredient transparency — full list, no hiding. This is a feature, not a compliance note.

Use the "Das ist kein Müsli" concept as the campaign through-line across all channels.

Write copy that sounds like a person wrote it. No agency voice. No category conventions.

German copy must be written by a native speaker who understands the brand. Not translated from English.

Mandatories — Things We Never Do

Stock photography of happy families eating cereal together. Or smiling, for that matter.

Health claims without numbers. "Good for you" is not a claim. "20g protein per serving" is.

Beige packaging or warm-toned photography. Warm is for brands that have nothing to say.

Muesli aesthetic — wood textures, oat imagery, nature photography, artisanal language.

Comparison advertising that names competitors directly. We don't need to.

Any use of the word "wholesome."

Budget + Timeline

Total Launch Budget

€400K

Indicative split: ~€80K OOH production + media, ~€120K paid social testing + creative, ~€60K PR + seeding, ~€80K agency fees, ~€60K localisation + compliance. Subject to negotiation.

Timeline

90 days

Day 1: Brief issued. Day 30: Creative concepts presented. Day 60: Final assets approved, media booked. Day 90: First OOH boards live in Berlin and Hamburg.

Success Metrics

10K

DTC email subscribers in DE + NL by Day 90

Major grocery listings confirmed (REWE and/or Edeka)

Press placements in DE/NL food, lifestyle, or wellness media