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Nesquik tries to stir up fond memories with parents

By Christopher Lombardo
July 9, 2021

Nestlé is getting kids who are no longer children but not yet teenagers to offer lessons they’ve learned based on their own mistakes as it makes an effort to reach parents who’ve lost connection with its Nesquik brand.

The multimedia TV, social and digital-led campaign introduces viewers to these “betweenagers” and the nuggets of wisdom they can share over a cold glass of Nesquik. And while some of them fall a bit more on the silly side – “if you don’t get me a horse, I’m going to ride the dog sometimes” – others are the kinds of things parents can take to heart, like the fact that sometimes learning what not to do, in itself, counts as a lesson.

The campaign’s tagline, “It’s All in the Making,” calls out mixing the product, but also the creation of memories, which the brand is hoping to stir up among parents.

“Today’s parents have fond memories of growing up with Nesquik, but have lost their connection with the brand and also have higher expectations of the brands they are offering their kids,” says Eryn Pasut, marketing director at Nestlé Beverages.

She tells strategy that the campaign is to remind parents to see the world through the eyes of their child, and to play on the nostalgic, 70-year history of the brand in Canada. However, the bigger investment in the brand, she says, includes the reformulation of the entire portfolio to feature cleaner recipes, answering parental concerns about the health value of what they give their kids, as well as to introduce a new vanilla SKU.

“We saw an opportunity to connect with parents again and feel like it’s a perfect time for us to reinvigorate a brand that is built on so much nostalgia and trust,” Pasut says, adding that, because the brand been quiet for a number of years, it was important to go broad with the message, including targeted specialty TV. The campaign also features what Pasut calls a “strong digital presence” with a focus being placed on social, organic and search, with buying handled by Thrive.

McCann Canada, which lead the campaign, was already the AOR on a number of Nestlé brands, and was awarded the Nesquik assignment in 2020.

In addition, Pasut says families have been spending more quality time together over the past 18 months and that the Nesquik brand is perfect for being creative in the kitchen. According to Pasut, since the onset of the pandemic it has seen higher consumption of its core products, like Nesquik.

Nestlé‘s newest innovations for the Nesquik brand also include a new packaging design with improved recyclability, also based on parental demand.