It’s not the greatest thing since sliced bread, but it’s similar. A new ad campaign for Wonder bread from Toronto agency The Hive aims to hit the spot in the same way.
The beloved bread brand, made by Weston Bakeries in Canada, made that “sliced bread” phrase famous in the 1930s when it began selling single sliced pans.
Playing on this concept, The Hive has created TV and pre-roll ads around the idea of ‘the greatest thing since’. Five ads are set to run nationally starting March 27, featuring funny tales told while preparing a snack.
Weston and The Hive began working together a few months ago on a strategy to place the brand at the forefront of people’s minds as a comfort food that’s a part of everyday life.
According to Simon Creet, chief creative officer at The Hive, it’s a reboot for a classic childhood favourite.
“I think the brand had gone quiet for a while. It spent a lot of years talking about the nutritional value of the product and I think while sales were strong, the work was starting to become invisible,” Creet said.
“The campaign taps into the smaller moments of life, rather than epic things like winning the lottery,” he said. “Because that’s really what life is about.”
As well as some nostalgic marketing with new classically designed packaging, Wonder bread’s white bread recipe has been changed back to its original formulation.
“Wonder offers a full line of white and whole wheat breads and rolls, but let’s be honest, that’s not what the brand is famous for” added Trent Fulton, managing director at The Hive, “When you want the perfect grilled cheese or ham and cheese, there really is only one choice.”
To tap into a younger market, in the coming weeks there’ll be a social media campaign on Facebook, and the brand will take a bite at Twitter for the first time too.
Wonder’s new pack design, developed by Davis, hit shelves on March 20. The new advertising campaign includes television and digital ads developed, with the media strategy developed and executed by Zenith Optimedia and in-store displays co-developed by The Hive and Match Marketing.
