Preserving long-held family traditions for generations to come is the motivation behind the latest creative work by Nestle, highlighting its Nido and Cerelac brands.

“The Living Traditions Library” is a new online resource that’s dedicated to helping maintain handwritten recipes, videos of family celebrations, and other important mementos of family traditions. The resource is aimed at helping newcomer families to Canada bridge the gap between two cultures.

A national public opinion survey in May, conducted by Maru on behalf of Nestle, asked more than 500 new Canadian adults about living in Canada. It found 70% had childhood memories of eating Nido (a powdered nutritional supplement brand) and Cerelac instant cereals.

Nestle marketing director Cheryl Matheson says highlighting Nido and Cerelac in its new library resource taps into nostalgia and traditions from home.

“Nido and Cerelac are beloved global brands and are staples in households throughout Europe and East Asia,” Matheson tells strategy. “Both brands recently launched in Canada, and through sales research and our survey, we identified that many first generation parents reach for products that are more familiar to them.”

Nestle’s survey also found that 94% of newcomers want to preserve traditions from their home countries, but more than two thirds aren’t sure how to do it, which further informed its new resource. 86% of respondents also reported facing challenges to keep traditions alive in Canada, especially among newcomers with three to five years of experience in the country.

The new library resource accepts any visual or video submission, including photos of recipes, family gatherings and traditional foods. Submissions are planned to be kept accessible through the library for more than 25 years, the brand says.

Nestle has found that Nido and Cerelac are popular in markets across Asia, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Thailand. Its goal with the new library was to create a program that celebrates the diversity of its consumers, Matheson says.

“Nestle’s purpose is to unlock the power of food to enhance quality of life for everyone today and for generations to come,” Matheson says. “Whether you’ve grown up in Canada or newly arrived, our goal is to leverage the power of our products to make a difference in the lives of our consumers.”

The new campaign also includes a contest element. Entrants who share their traditions between June 5 and July 3 have the chance to win a supply of Nido and Cerelac products, along with a grand prize of $2,000 and three secondary prizes of $1,000.

The campaign was developed with Citizen Relations and Thrive Media.