Wise so serious?
When you can live young.
Helping Wise Foods develop a brand platform for Cheez Doodles that inspires people to take life less seriously and enjoy the simple moments in life.
BACKGROUND
Cheez Doodles needed to capture a younger audience that had been waning in recent years. A generation who takes not growing up, very seriously. So together with the teams at Kastner in Los Angeles, we decided to give them a well-deserved break from adulthood.
OBJECTIVE
Build brand equity and drive 25% increase in purchase of Cheez Doodles among the young and less young adults.
CHALLENGE
Cheez Doodles was not top of mind among the US consumers of snacks. Brands like Cheetos, Doritos, and Skittles were leading the market. Their communications were funny and culturally relevant but lacking a purpose.
OPPORTUNITY
To stand out from the competition and resonate with culture, Cheez Doodles must find a higher purpose to exist and let that purpose be our compass, at the center of everything we do. It's time to let snacks show the way.
MY PROCESS / METHODOLOGY
Below shows a synopsis of my research inputs and findings that informed the creative brief and our strategy after going through academic research, competitive analysis, target definition, social listening, stakeholder and consumer interviews, and workshops.
INSIGHT
We are all YOUNG AT HEART. Life can be miserable when we take things too seriously. When we step back from the seriousness of life, we feel happy. These fun moments of play are what we live for, and what millennials are all about.
STRATEGY
Help people escape the serious by sharing the secrets to a more joyful life, one Cheez Doodles bag at a time. Position Cheez Doodles as a fun vehicle to guide people back to their youth, so they can lead happy and carefree lives.
REASON TO BELIEVE
Cheez Doodles ‘forces’ people to withdraw from the seriousness of life and connect with their inner-child because of the child-like behavior that the product attributes create. They're like a bag full of orange smiles.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Introducing the Doodle Method, the first-ever episodic comedy series about a snack-based life guidance coach who uses Cheez Doodles to help people find their inner child. The series follows Lindsay on her quest to publish her first self-help book. But the series was only the first step. To further bring Lindsay’s character to the real world, we created fictional Facebook and Instagram pages, featuring months of posts from Lindsay and seven full-length vlogs. She was dropping Doodle Method wisdom daily through her ongoing blog. I served as the lead brand and creative strategist. I devised and sold the strategy to the client. I briefed and guided the teams during the creative development process. While the client was excited to bring The Doodle Method to life, it took almost a year to get funded. The campaign was produced and ran after my tenure at Kastner. Below is a snapshot.
