90 Years Yum.

The 90th anniversary of Weet-Bix was coming up. For its makers, Sanitarium, the anniversary was a big deal. But would consumers feel the same?

The challenge

Come up with a strategy to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Weet-Bix, acknowledging the heritage and the NZ icon nature of the brand but keeping it relevant to today’s consumers.

What we did

Firstly, we used the phrase “90 Years Yum”, for a twist on the typical terminology that incorporated the reaction that consumers have been experiencing for nearly a century when enjoying Weet-Bix.

Then we created a radio commercial that mimicked the sounds and styles of yesteryear, starting with the quasi-BBC sound of the 1930s and quickly transitioning through the decades to today’s more multi-cultural approach. It was a smart way to leverage nostalgia without actually having to spell things out.

We backed up the radio campaign with a range of Out-of-Home (OOH) posters that showed Weet-Bix being enjoyed by “Kiwi Kids”of all ages.

And then we activated the power of PR (and breakfast television) to hear from some prominent Kiwi Kids (and Grandkids) such as Peter Hillary and his son, who talked about Sir Edmund Hillary and the mountain-climbing energy bestowed by Weet-Bix.

And of course there were All Blacks, because what rugby-playing, Weet-Bix-eating Kiwi kid doesn’t dream of joining the national team?

Celebration? Check.

National icons? Check?

Now standing by for the centennial.