Mom has toothpaste in her hair, Dad doesn’t have enough caffeine, and the siblings have a pillow fight in a messy start-of-the-day scene that’s probably replicated in some form in countless American households.
With a lovable, fresh-faced young man at the center, who narrates the chaos in a catchy tune, Life Cereal begins its first concerted marketing effort in years with the revival of an advertising icon.
The kid, it should be noted, is Mikey, a character first seen in 1972 – who helps incorporate the catchphrase “He likes it! Hey Mikey!” in the lexicon — and later inducted into the TV Commercial Hall of Fame.
Officially titled “Three Brothers,” the original Mikey-centric spot became such a phenomenon that it ran for more than a decade, spawning parodies, shoutouts, and urban myths, and cementing Life’s place as a solid better-for-you contender . bigger rivals than Total.
Reviving a classic character from decades past while giving a 2024 twist to the story, Life is tackling “newstalgia,” according to Katie Scupham, vice president of dining occasions at PepsiCo, now the parent company of Life’s Quaker Oats.
“We could have just replicated the ’70s ad because consumers are looking for the convenience” that throwback concepts often provide, Scupham said, summing up an ongoing marketing trend that shows no sign of slowing down. “But we wanted to take something that feels familiar and put it in a modern context.”
The campaign, aimed at bringing sales and awareness to life in a highly competitive food segment, turned to “Three Brothers” as a spiritual framework, according to Isaac Pagan-Muñoz, vice president, executive creative director, PepsiCo America north.
“We have a piece of history in advertising and we wanted to be respectful and do it justice,” Pagan-Muñoz, whose in-house agency D3 handled the work, told ADWEEK. “However, it has this element of timelessness. What was true then is true now – mornings are hectic and family life is chaotic and there is beauty in capturing genuine human moments.”