Bagel Bites' first ad campaign in decades stirs pop cultural debates

Dive Brief:

Kraft Heinz brand Bagel Bites kicked off its first major advertising campaign in almost two decades, the company shared with Marketing Dive.
The "Pizza on a Bagel — We Can All Agree With That" effort from creative agency Johannes Leonardo takes a humorous approach to polarized discussions, playing into contemporary pop cultural debates.
The campaign is centered around four 15-second spots featuring animated animal and clowns that take on questions like: Chicken or egg?; How should dogs wear pants?; Are unicorns or ponies better? The creative will run on TV, online video, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and Snapchat, as well as OOH and pre-roll ads.

Dive Insight:

Bagel Bites' first advertising campaign since the 2000s comes as sales for prepared foods and snacks are are on the uptick due to pandemic-related lockdowns and consumers stocking up on pantry goods while avoiding restaurants.

The effort also taps into cultural debates by posing humorous questions including a pony and a unicorn arguing over which one kids loves more. The spots then end with the tagline, "Something everyone can agree with — pizza on a bagel."

The campaign was born in December 2019 when Bagel Bites studied online conversations driving cultural chatter, such as how to hang your toilet paper roll or whether people prefer boxers versus briefs. By looking at threads like these on YouTube and Reddit, the Kraft Heinz brand and its agency developed the campaign to insert its product in conversations and reach younger consumers who are more likely to snack on Bagel Bites and participate in these types of discussions online.

Bagel Bites has a history of humorous marketing. Last year, it refreshed a 2002 campaign starring skateboarder Tony Hawk to promote its snack around Father's Day. The #RadDadSquad effort called on dads to share on social the fun ways they spend time with their kids.

The latest full marketing campaign comes as Kraft is having a solid year despite the pandemic's economic damage around the world. It reported strong Q2 earnings after seeing an uptick in loyalty from new buyers, and its marketing campaigns aim to further cementing these connections with consumers by positioning its products as pantry staples. By creating humorous content to unite people during an election year, this campaign has the potential to keep consumers returning to the product.