Mullenlowe SA promotes simple life with topical Weet-bix campaign

Integrated marketing communications network, MullenLowe South Africa, has given local consumers something to think about.

That’s with the unveiling of a TVC to drive awareness and sales of breakfast cereal Bokomo Weet-Bix, following on from shopper work MullenLowe initiated in 2021 around the notion that “simple is good”.

“Weet-Bix – It’s Complicated” highlights just how busy, over-stimulated and demanding modern-day life has become, particularly with technology and devices playing an ever-increasingly bigger role in our lives.

“It’s been said that we make up to 35,000 decisions a day, and it’s exhausting,” says Sarah Dexter, CEO MullenLowe SA. “That exhaustion has been exacerbated by external stresses such as the pandemic and political instability. So, we went back to the very intrinsics of the brand and used the fact that Weet-Bix consists of four simple ingredients as a counter to all the stress. It’s such an obvious choice if you’re looking for something tasty and simple for breakfast. Weet-Bix has endured for decades, because it’s simple, reliable and a really great breakfast!”

The TVC cleverly touches on the belief that we all possibly hanker after lives that are simpler, with fewer choices, and it boldly makes the assertion that “more” is not always better. In fact, it suggests that simplifying life actually gives us more, touching on aspects such as family and friendships.

As the 45-second TVC suggests, “we’re trapped up in a system that says having more of everything is better. Maybe it’s time to uncomplicate things.”

That’s when the piece brings in Bokomo Weet-Bix, with the pay-off line, “because simple is good.”

The film was directed by Kevin Fitzgerald of 7 Films, whose vision was to create a piece of work that visually represented the “crazy overwhelm” we feel in modern-day life.

“This film is about two halves, the complete chaos of our modern world, everything we chase and we know is not good for us, and the life that is so accessible that we love when we are in it,” says Kirk Gainsford, Chief Creative Officer, MullenLowe SA. “Kevin brought it to life beautifully, and it had to be beautifully done, because nobody wants to watch chaos. Everything was created in camera and the editing is fast-paced, with a moment of light relief, then back to the anxiety of our ‘always-on’ lives, until we hear a breath of relief and we see a morning with friends in the garden. It’s something so simple, but we all love it. It leaves you feeling relaxed, because nobody really likes to be reminded about the anxiety of contemporary living.”

MullenLowe has a long-standing history with Weet-Bix, having represented and worked with the brand for 10 years, and Gainsford believes this campaign has given MullenLowe the opportunity to produce a piece of work that has the ability to leverage the simplicity of the Weet-Bix brand and really make people think about what’s important to them.

“It’s amazing to me that it took lockdown and everything that is going on in the world for us to remember what joy there is in a simple life,” he says. “I think we are all going to realise soon enough how important the simple life is.”