Are you a traditionalist and like a drop of milk and sprinkling of sugar on your Weetabix? Or do you incorporate one of your five a day, and add a few strawberries or blueberries into the mix with yours? Maybe you really go to town and mix it up a little with a splash of Greek yoghurt and a drizzle of honey? Whatever your preference, in an attempt to get people talking about one of our leading breakfast classics, and a staple ingredient that can be found in many of the UK’s kitchen cupboards, the marketing team at Weetabix has been busy whipping up a social media storm, creating a heap of headlines and industry praise for its most recent viral campaign.
In a social media campaign which saw the breakfast giant pair its wheat-based biscuits with an array of ‘interesting’ toppings including Baked Beans, peanut butter, and cheese, the campaign created a noticeable stir because food combinations are such a debatable topic and each of the pairings evoked some fairly extreme reactions ranging from ‘I might give that a try’ to total disgust. Even using Weetabix as the base for a pizza, the marketing team was very creative in its use of the cereal and posted these combinations over its social channels. Best of all it tagged well-known brands including Heinz, Nando’s, and Tesco into in its social posts and encouraged them to engage with the campaign. Even Greater Manchester Police joined the banter, reporting that Weetabix and Beans is ‘a crime of a serious nature’, while Virgin Australia claimed to be relieved that their international borders were closed. The brands were happy to join in the debate helping boost Weetabix’s social engagement significantly and even generating an uplift in sales with Sainsbury’s announcing a 15% uplift alone.
The campaign was even picked up by the media, with Good Morning Britain debating the topic and the BBC reporting on the global impact of the highly debated campaign.
The beauty of this campaign is that it’s such a simple idea and demonstrates how shaking up a brand that is best known as a good source of fibre and a breakfast classic, can breathe new life into a product that has been around since 1932. Let us know how you prefer your Weetabix. I’m not sure I’ll be reaching for the Baked Beans anytime soon, but as they say, ‘Don’t knock it until you try it!
