Dive Brief:
- To promote the return of bagel chips to Chex Mix, the General Mills brand has enlisted Sir Mix-A-Lot to remix his hit song "Baby Got Back" as "Bagel Is Back," according to details shared with Marketing Dive.
- Reworked versions of the 1992 original song and video include lyrics about Chex Mix and bagel chips, which last appeared in the product a decade ago. The effort was planned and executed by Content+ with help from Edelman, Mindshare and The Social Lights. It spans paid, earned and owned channels including TV, digital and social.
- Chex Mix is tapping into nostalgia to engage with consumers who look back fondly on an iconic 90s track and a fan-favorite recipe.
Dive Insight:
Chex Mix is likely hoping to make a social media splash by bringing back bagel chips with the help of Sir Mix-A-Lot and a remix of "Baby Got Back," which the Seattle rapper has not previously remixed in this way despite the song's enduring popularity. "Bagel Is Back" reworks the butt-focused anthem into a song about snacks, flipping the original's "Full Metal Jacket" sample into "makes me so hungry."
Utilizing nostalgia for the cultural touchstones of the 80s and 90s has been an enduring marketing tactic over the last few years, especially as millennials who grew up during those decades have begun making more purchasing decisions. The tactic also allows marketers to turn the clock back to what might have been happier times, unaffected by the pandemic, economic peril or ongoing war.
Chex Mix previously used a nostalgic strategy, updating its 90s video game "Chex Quest" for a new generation in 2020. Parent company General Mills has also taken a similar approach, bringing back childhood-favorite cereals and promoting them with the Saturday morning cartoons.
Popular rap songs have also been co-opted by marketers hoping to engage with pop culture nostalgia. The co-branded Super Bowl campaign for Frito-Lay products Doritos and Cheetos Flamin’ Hot reimagined Salt-N-Pepa’s 1986 hit “Push It" in 2022, while Match Group's BLK reworked the 1998 hit “Back That Thang Up” into “Vax That Thang Up" in 2021.
