Oatly has had a tough time, image-wise. Its trademark scrap with Glebe Farm was unpopular, while its ‘Help Dad’ ad attracted the frothing wrath of dairy-loving critics.

This means the brand’s latest concept, ‘The Norm&Al Show’, has a lot to do. And it’s certainly a step in the right direction. There’s nothing sneery about Norm and Al – two Oatly carton puppets who appear in a series of scenarios that explore plant-based living. Crucially, when Al is ‘caught’ eating meat, Norm doesn’t tell him off – instead reminding him (in song) of the plusses of flexitarianism. There are also spots dealing with dairy ‘urges’, and the myth that oat milk is for hipsters.

If this sounds didactic, it’s not: the puppetry and animation is inventive and fun, once you’ve grasped the concept. And things get very meta, with the characters frequently referring to their limitations as puppets, the scripts they’re performing, and even the actors voicing them.

Surely no one can have any serious complaints about this?

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