Posted by “He likes it! Hey, Mikey!” If you can identify this phrase and the product it represents, you’re either old enough to recognize the unforgettable ad of the 1970’s that cemented Life Cereal in consumers’ minds with finicky eater, Mikey. Or you heard your parents tell you about it.
The phrase became so ubiquitous that everyone in the day knew what product you were referring to simply by repeating those now ensconced five words.
Either way, the ad’s memorable appeal convinced audiences that if a picky eater like Mikey could enjoy Life Cereal, so could we, opening the floodgates to the idea that maybe eating “healthy” offerings can even taste good, too.
In an effort to overcome rising prices that have discouraged customers and gouged grocery industry returns, PepsiCo, the parent company of Quaker-owned Life Cereal, has decided to resurrect the Mikey concept in a newly revamped ad campaign, hoping for similar results.
This time the upbeat ad focuses on the crazy morning rush many households relate to and the chaos along the way. But when it comes time to sit down and eat breakfast, Mikey “really loves his Life.” Of course the spot includes the time-honored line about Mikey, spoken by an older brother as he and his sister watch their younger sibling contentedly eat a bowl of Life Cereal.
The nod to nostalgia isn’t unique to Quaker. In a time where much of the US feels divided and consumer confidence wanes, brands are more often relying on an association with “better times” to evoke positive emotions and boost customer enthusiasm.
An article by Marketing Dive reports that “a deluge of brands have recently dusted off old catchphrases, characters, and jingles to tap into a sense of consumer familiarity, while modernizing those assets to recognize that media consumption habits have drifted toward smartphones and streaming.”
A prime example is Maybelline of New York, who just this month brought back its “Maybe It’s Maybelline” slogan from 1991, this time aimed for media platforms like TikTok and social media influencers.
Quaker’s feel-good Mikey ad is heavily targeted toward digital media, and will be seen in places like Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, Amazon, YouTube, Meta and SiriusXM. It will also land on retail media through Walmart Connect.
Will the trip down memory lane evoke strong enough sentiment to bring customers back to the fold? For now, many retailers are betting their ad dollars on it. Read more here.