The Campaign

Weet-Bix is a breakfast institution, but the old familiar lacked excitement for teens. To win a place at their table we had to be relevant in their world. Teens want to be heard. They want to share their experiences in popular forums like social media in a two-sided communication platform. Sanitarium teamed up with Sony and popular music artists Samantha Jade and Justice Crew to create a song about being raised in Australia with the help of Australian teenagers. It was the teens that were able to write the lyrics and feature in the music video. Simply by uploading a photo of ‘their Australia’ with a recommended lyric and #raisedonweetbix, teens were given a voice to be shared by two of Australia’s most popular music artists. The intention was to remind teens how good it is to be raised in Australia, and thus, what it means to be raised on Weet-Bix.

The Brief

Our campaign is bold in its ambition to unify all of Australia. It does so in a disarming way that prompts reflection about what a great, diverse country Australia is and how no matter who we are or what part of this great country we are from, we have all been raised as ‘weet-bix kids’. In pre-testing when consumers were asked if Weet-Bix had the right to do this, the answer was a resounding yes. The digital campaign talks directly to teens and encourages participation through a music project in collaboration with Sony.

Results

Raised on Weet-Bix’ TVC resonated strongly with teens. Received 534 contributions to the song and 496 uses of the “Raised in Australia” hashtag - more than enough content to create the song. Achieved mass engagement: 1.2 million unique people viewed Weet-Bix Facebook content. Weet-Bix owned channels (instagram, Facebook, Twitter) received 4,700 engagements (98% positive). Engaged users increased by over 5,500 per cent. Number of people talking about the brand averaged at 1,843 per week, an increase of 3,000 per cent. 35 social posts and hashtag uses from Justice Crew and Samantha Jade about the Weet-Bix project. Total engagement with these posts (likes,shares,comments) was 93,300. Weet-Bix share was declining, but levelled off during and after the campaign. CTR of 0.52% was achieved - well above the forecast 0.45%. 28% over delivery in clicks with 186,447 delivered vs 145,370 planned. CPC of $0.66 compared to forecast ($0.85) steadily decreased over campaign period.

Execution

It was important for engagement to leverage the artists’ own PR engine to promote the project, through an online film and their own social channels. Our success model was to get niche participation (as we were asking teens for a significant contribution in terms of content) and then amplify it, through owned and earned channels, for mass engagement and mass reach. The “Raised on Weet-Bix” TV and print campaign set the scene. The 'Raised in Australia’ music project was promoted through pre-roll activity and Facebook ads for the last few weeks of the campaign. Our landing page asked consumers to take a photo of what they loved about being in Australia today, add a caption or lyric to that photo and upload it to their social media account, post with #raisedonweetbix. The entries would be provided to JCrew & SJade and might be used for 'inspiration' for the lyrics.

The Situation

Weet-Bix is Australia's favourite breakfast cereal. Everyone knows that. However competitors were saturating the market with newer tastier options and confusing consumers with seemingly healthy alternatives. Weet-Bix was being left at the back of the cupboard . Research showed that there was a deep latent love for the Weet-Bix brand. We needed to tap into this to drive consumption across all demographics and re-connect Australians with the brand.

The Strategy

Aussie mums love Weet-Bix because it’s good for kids. But what’s good for kids, is exactly what teens rebel against. We needed teens to re-connect with Weet-Bix again. Through research, we identified their desire to feel a sense of connection with each other and their country. So, our TV campaign prompted reflection and encouraged debate about what it means to be raised Australian - a conversation Weet-Bix could authentically participate in, as a heritage brand. To make Weet-Bix part of teens' world, we also had to offer them something genuinely motivating and link it to Weet–Bix. We tapped into teens’ desire to get closer to their favourite music artists and to enjoy their own moment in the spotlight. Collaborating with Sony’s hottest music talent, Justice Crew and Samantha Jade, we invited teens to co–create the next big Aussie Anthem and video by sharing their own Australian stories.