By Sarah Khan
Family, magic and playfulness are the core themes of Kellogg’s new campaign for Rice Krispies, the first in which both the cereal and snack bars are sharing the spotlight.
The fully digital “A Grain Of” campaign features 3D-animated families who spark a moment of fun from their Rice Krispies, whether it’s the “snap, crackle and pop” of the cereal starting a musical collaboration between siblings, the “ooey gooey goodness” of Rice Krispies Treats leading to jokes with a grandfather or the mischievous moments joy that come during holiday baking.
[iframe_youtube video = “nfx9NHscgEc”]
“We really tried to take a very simple food that is designed for the whole family to enjoy and make it into a very appealing campaign that would be interesting for the family,” says Christine Jakovcic, VP of marketing for Kellogg Canada.
Caregivers of children aged 13 and younger are the target demographic for the campaign, explains Mandy Eaton, VP and group account director at Leo Burnett, the agency responsible for the campaign.
Historically, the Rice Krispies brand has always targeted parents and caregivers, but this time around, there’s an emphasis on how the simplicity of its food is a strength, as it can be used to bring families together for some crackle of playfulness and a pop of magic to meals occasions ranging from breakfast to snacking to baking. Promoting the Rice Krispies products under one platform makes more sense, Eaton says, when you consider the nucleus of the campaign is about the “simple grain of rice” all the products come from.
“Consumers think that their kids grow up too fast and responsibilities quickly take over in their lives, so our insight was that we’d find a way to help parents savour those moments where you don’t take life too seriously,” adds Jakovcic.
[iframe_youtube video = “cLgMaRz-NeI”]
To ensure the core idea was universal, the creative team partnered with animation studio Tonic on modern, animated videos. Jakovcic explains that, in the past, ads for the bars were fully animated and digital, while ads for cereal were live action and skewed towards TV. This campaign merges what worked best about both strategies: the engagement and vibrancy animation offers, with the family moments shown in the live-action ads.
“This animation style that just really fit the idea of the playful and the magic,” says Steve Persico, co-CCO at Leo Burnett. “We can represent different kinds of people — different cultures, different families — in ways that felt real to the way that families exist, but also add some magic to it through the animation.”
[iframe_youtube video = “-n0vtVIH8yU”]
In August, Kellogg’s launched a masterbrand platform covering its full cereal portfolio, a renewed effort to try and gain share in the breakfast occasion. While the new Rice Krispies platform is spun away from that platform – focusing on different moments of fun instead of nutritional features – the creative strategy is one that is similarly malleable and adaptable across brands and media alike.
“The platform’s got a lot of legs and a lot of life to it and we’re excited to — over the next few years and longer — continue on,” says Persico.
