Does it make any sense that today’s teenagers are nostalgic for the cheesy ads of the 1980s and early ‘90s? No, but they do anyway -- and Totino’s is targeting that appetite in ads for Totino’s Breakfast Snack Bites. Ads for the new product, a breakfast version of its teen-beloved Totino’s Pizza Rolls, are based on research that 75% of teens skip breakfast.
Ads, themed “Start the Day the Totino’s Way,” feature ridiculously wholesome slices of breakfast in America, combining hokey jingles with Totino’s peculiar flavor of snack-wackiness. Mom grows a Totino’s mustache in one. In another, a Rodney Dangerfield-esque Grampa dozes as a semi-sinister sun puppet peers into the window.
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Dentsu Creative is the agency, and the ads are running in online video, streaming TV, the brand’s social channels, and paid social placements.
The launch comes as General Mills and other food companies aim to establish value among shoppers who are increasingly focused on controlling family food budgets. In its most recent earnings call, Jeffrey L. Harmening, GM’s chairman and chief executive officer, called out Totino’s as an example of ways the food giant aims to increase its competitiveness.
“The job to do is create more value for our consumers,” he told analysts. “Value can take place in a variety of ways, and I guess I would start at the point of brand communication.”
He cited the appearance of the Kelce brothers in cereal ads, bringing back the Pillsbury Doughboy, and Totino's as some of the company's most potent marketing. Product innovation is also essential to value, including Fruity Cheerios, Mott's breakfast bars and allergy-free Nature Valley options, he noted.
“We know the moms really like Totino's breakfast rolls,” Harmening added. In addition to marketing investments, Totino’s is also stepping up couponing efforts by about 20%. “Our research tells us it's highly effective when we do that.”