Vachon is turning to the past and transporting fans to another era.
As part of ongoing efforts to commemorate its 100th anniversary, Vachon has partnered with Cossette to launch a nationwide campaign, sending couch potatoes back in time via a Jos Louis cake portal, calling to mind the time-travelling slackers depicted in the Keanu Reeves movie Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.
With archival footage, creative shows the principals visiting Montreal in the 1960s to witness strongman and pro wrestler The Great Antonio pulling four city buses, one of sprinter Bruny Surin’s memorable wins at the 1995 World Championships, and the emergency aircraft landing on the Metropolitain Highway in 2020.
“Our ‘Time Travelling Bites’ campaign transports our fans to historic landmark moments in an entertaining and imaginative way,” says Maryna Shcherbyna, senior marketing manager at Vachon, who says the effort is all about creating exposure, fostering engagement and celebrating its centenary. “Vachon has seen a lot in the last century, and it’s our pleasure to remind everyone that our brand has been an integral part of our lives and national snacking heritage.”
Earlier this summer, and again with agency partners Cossette and Starcom, the CPG used archival footage to comic effect: it sourced dour, Depression-era pictures from the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) and brightened faces with full colour Vachon cake beards complete with bite marks fashioned to resemble a smile.
“Nostalgia plays a major role in a consumer’s attachment to the brand,” says Patrick Michaud, creative director at Cossette, who says the work is showing how the company’s iconic snacks have been a staple for generations. “Just one bite of these cakes sends people on a trip down memory lane.”
In addition to the video clips, Vachon also inserted itself into history on social, giving its products a mortarboard for a “graduation,” and sending Vachon cakes on a lunar mission.
