Kellanova is taking its “Want it. Need it.
Cheez-It.” campaign into decidedly spicier territory, with new spots dramatizing how powerless some people feel in the face of longing for their favorite cracker.
Tiny crackers dance
before the eyes of fans, leading them into absurd predicaments. A young man nearly kisses his girlfriend’s father on the lips in “Meet My Dad.”
In “Tasty
Eulogy,” the speaker takes an unfortunate detour from his prepared remarks, calling the dead guy a “tasty snack,” and nearly taking a bite. And in “Book Club,” a salty Cheez-It crashes a discussion, interrupting a literal page-turner.
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The ads arrive as America continues to lose its
taste for crackers, with dollar sales slipping across the category. At Kellanova, where the acquisition by Mars is still pending, North American Cheez-It sales fell 4%, with prolonged softness in
both frozen and snacking.
Cheez-It faces a particular challenge: although it positions itself as a salty snack, it is still sold in the cracker aisle, while many consumers shop their cravings
in the chips-and-pretzels section. “When we’re a cheesy, salty snack stuck in the cracker aisle away from the rest of the highly competitive salty snacks, we can easily be passed
by,” said Dan Kelly, executive creative director, FCB NY, in the release. “That’s why we needed a new campaign like ‘Cravings Can Happen Anywhere’ to get the brand
noticed again and dig into that very real insight of what it’s like to have Cheez-It on the brain. Because people know when those cravings happen, nothing quite hits like Cheez-It
crackers.”
That softness hasn’t been for lack of innovation. Cheez-It has become a virtual new-product machine, rolling out Cheez-It Smoked Cheddar and Cheez-It Smoked Gouda,
followed just months later by Cheez-It Snap’d Extra Crunchy Margherita Pizza and Cheez-It Duoz Pesto + Mozzarella.
A Kellanova spokesperson says the new ads are running nationally on TV,
OLV, CTV and social media, supported by influencer, audio and owned-brand channels.