General Mills‘ Old El Paso brand is aiming to free Canadians from their dinner ruts with its new campaign, “You Mexi-Can,” designed to get people excited about Mexican food and encourage them to prepare it at home.
Phase one of the campaign, which launched Monday, includes four teaser videos that can be viewed on the company’s YouTube channel, banner ads, pre- roll video and a dedicated Facebook page.
At the centre of the campaign is Jose, a revolutionary leader who declares war on the old, stale dinner routine with a rallying cry to Canadians to spice up their meals. In one video he proclaims, “Overthrow your dinner routine. You mexi-can!”
Lori Hatcher-Hillier, marketing director, meals at General Mills Canada, said “You Mexi-Can” is an evolution of the strategies the company has used in the past.
“Mexican food is really hot now, but consumers often forget about it or don’t have the confidence to make it at home. Canadians deserve more flavour and more fun. This campaign is a revolution against the dinner rut,” she said.
Phase two of the campaign – which is geared primarily to moms – will roll out in September and will feature TV ads, PR initiatives and in-store promotion.
Old El Paso worked on creative with Cossette, the agency of record that is also handling the digital media buy and took part in social media promotion along with Mom Central.
The traditional media buy was done by Zenith Optimedia. Citizen Optimum is heading up PR.
“You Mexi-Can” will run throughout the year and, depending on how well phase one goes, may continue beyond that.
