While retailers everywhere continue to plug their back to school ranges, Dairylea is aiming to set the kids free by championing the benefits of a little bit of independence for children – and those triangles of sickly cheese of course – in a new TV campaign.
Devised by VCCP London, the “Set them free with Dairylea” integrated activity is designed to offer parents a glimpse into the wonderfully curious eyes of kids, and is the first work the agency has executed for the Mondelēz International brand since it was appointed last summer.
Opening with a 40-second film inspired by the curiosity and adventurousness of kids when left to their own devices, the film captures two young girls hanging upside down from a small goal post and pondering over what happens to their Dairylea triangle when eaten the wrong way around.
The strategy is based on consumer research which showed that while many parents want to let their kids be kids and give them a bit of space, restrictions over the last 18 months, the influence of technology, and the sheer pace of modern life meant that many “little ‘uns” have less time for adventure and free play. Yet it was in those moments that parents felt the most reward.
In a market dominated by surrealism and cartoon characters, “Set them free with Dairylea” aims to be truly distinctive to parents of kids aged three to ten, by telling relatable stories in the real-world, told from a kids’-eye-view.
The campaign will run in the UK and Ireland for two months across broadcaster video on demand, out of home, social and digital. Media has been planned and executed by Carat.
Mondelēz International associate marketing director of meals Catharine Young said: “The last 18 months have been unprecedented, especially for kids. School, playtime, and adventures to the park have all been disrupted.
“Now, as the world begins to open up again and kids can get back outside, this bold campaign encourages us all to give kids a little space and see the wonderful things that can happen. Dairylea is made for adventurous moments. It’s a little triangle of cheese that kids can take anywhere, and eat any way they please. A little bit of independence wrapped up in silver foil.”
VCCP London creative director Caroline Rawlings added: “There’s something brilliantly nostalgic about Dairylea. Its size – just right to be taken anywhere by little hands or pockets, its shiny, crinkly foil, its squishyness. It’s like the best bits of childhood. Simple, innocent, unassuming, and all the better for it.
“We wanted to create a campaign that championed a childhood where kids are free to experience those precious little moments that, to a parent might feel like nothing, but to a child are everything. A positioning where Dairylea could encourage giving children enough independence to use their imaginations or find their own boundaries.
“To make mistakes and learn from them. To answer their own questions with answers that are far better than the truth. All with a little bit of cheese in hand to keep them going.”
So, what is the consensus around the Decision Marketing office?
Oh it takes us back, Fast Show-style, footie in the park, jumpers for goalposts, rush goalie, climbing trees, conkers, rusty bikes and dams in stinky streams; camps in the woods, sticklebacks, scrumping, avoiding the big boys and a good thumping.
Not bad for an ad which is stripped right back, just two kids pondering life, but it works well.
Mind you, we’re not big fans of Dairylea – give us a Brie de Meaux Dongé any day – but kids seem to love it, and have done so since the 1950s, so who are we to argue?
Decision Marketing Adometer: A “who needs the Internet anyway?” 9 out of 10
