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Life Cereal is bringing back an iconic commercial figure in its latest campaign.
Made by PepsiCo's internal agency D3, the new initiative features the kid Mikey enjoying a bowl of Life, as he sings a catchy breakfast jingle.
Titled "Mikey" and later on popularized as "Little Mikey," the award-winning ad debuted in 1972 and ran until 1986, making it one of the longest-running commercials in history.
Little Mikey eventually became a part of pop culture, with audiences often associating him with the original tagline "He likes it! Hey, Mikey!"
PepsiCo VP of Meal Occasions Katie Scupham explained the idea behind the campaign and the nostalgic route they took with their marketing.
According to the VP, Life was not a top-of-mind answer among consumer focus groups, but once mentioned, participants knew the cereal brand immediately.
"[We] saw there was a lot of latent love and positive memories associated with the brand. So we wanted to bring Mikey back for a new generation of kids and parents," Scupham added.
Apart from bringing back the iconic character, the company decided to refresh the nostalgic spot by having the character sing in it — something he has never done in previous Life spots.
D3 Executive Creative Director Isaac Pagan-Muñoz explained the idea behind this, saying they felt like the brand was "deserving of the new music and tagline."
Additionally, Pagan-Muñoz believes the new jingle gave the spot more energy, and the decision was more reflective of the company's audience and the consumption occasion.
So, the brand and agency went ahead to show mornings through the perspective of a bit more grown-up Mikey.
The original version of Little Mikey's commercial sees his brothers (played by his real-life siblings) giving him a bowl of Life Cereal to try, knowing that he's a picky eater.
In excitement, they shout "He likes it! Hey Mikey!" which has since become a popular tagline associated with the brand.
By bringing back a beloved pop culture figure, Life not only cements itself as a heritage cereal brand but also one that's willing to refresh its character to stay up to date with digital marketing trends.
Mikey Really Loves His Life
The 30-second spot titled "Life. It’s the one cereal everyone can agree on. Even Mikey likes it."​ kicks off with the main character getting out of bed with his siblings, celebrating the start of another day.
However, while he wishes he could say everything was "peachy keen," his brother stays in his underwear, his mom got toothpaste in her hair, and his dad has not yet had his caffeine fix.
Things take a turn for the better when it's time to eat and they all enjoy a bowl of Life Cereal for breakfast.
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Like the iconic spot, Mikey's siblings wait on his reaction upon having his first bite of Life.
"He likes it! Hey Mikey," his brother shouts.
"I really love my Life," Mikey sings to the viewers as the spot ends.
Lately, tt seems that many brands have been capitalizing on nostalgia in their advertising and marketing efforts.
Last month, the Ad Council teamed up with FCB to bring back Smokey the Bear for an awareness campaign in celebration of the beloved mascot's 80th birthday.
Earlier in the year, Sprite also remade Grant Hill's iconic commercial, "Obey Your Thirst." This time, with Anthony Edwards.
Editing by Katherine 'Makkie' Maclang
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