Weetabix wants to know what you're made of

Cereal-aisle staple Weetabix is getting a marketing push thanks to a new advertising campaign that plays off the familiar saying, “You are what you eat.”

The “You Are What You Weetabix” print campaign emphasizes the simple, iconic nature of the brand, says Brad Monk, creative director at MonkWilliam, the advertising agency involved in the campaign.

“We thought, ‘let’s not make it look like it’s new and improved.’ The best thing about it is that it’s always been good. The beauty is that it hasn’t changed forever; it’s the same cereal you have on the first day of school, even the packaging is relatively the same.”

The ads launched in English and French magazines across Canada, as well as on radio. The campaign is also being promoted through a giveaway on City’s Breakfast Television.

The ads feature the tagline, and include a personalized nutritional facts panel (e.g, "Sarah Facts) that includes ingredients like “food savvy” and “beach lover.”

The BT contest asks people to create their own nutrition side panel; co-incidentally, a third grade teacher in Abbotsford, B.C., saw the print ads in Chatelaine and decided to have her kids write their own nutritional facts in a similar classroom assignment.

MonkWilliams will post some of her students’ answers on Facebook, and hopes it will encourage others to follow suit and fill in their own.

Weetabix has been in Canada since the late 1960s and early on enjoyed strong brand recognition thanks to a series of TV featuring Darryl Sittler, captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1970s.

However, for more than 30 years since those ads, the “the brand has maintained a low profile, and we felt it was time to take the gloves off and make a little noise,” said Sheldon Gasee, senior national brand manager at Weetabix.

The cereal aisle overall currently faces a challenging market. Cereal sales have steadily declined in the face of competition from breakfast alternatives like yogurt, time-strapped consumers eating getting their morning meal at quick-serve restaurants and health concerns about ingredients.

This article was first published by Marketing magazine