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Totino's has rolled out a wacky new campaign that might be its craziest to date.
Made together with global creative agency Dentsu, the pizza roll brand dropped two new spots to officially announce its entry into the breakfast category with its snack bites.
The campaign was born from the insight that teens often skip breakfast.
Acknowledging how difficult it is for them to get up in the morning, roll out of bed, and get going, the brand wanted to position its offering as a "quick and easy" breakfast that will appeal to younger generations.
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While the premise of the campaign sounds normal on paper, the adverts are the complete opposite.
Dentsu Group Creative Director Alyssa Ollis explained the concept features "wholesome mornings" with "moments of weirdness breaking into that familiar, traditional breakfast space."
True enough, the breakfast ad incorporates "unhinged" elements that set it apart from the rest, with a weirdly made sun puppet, an overly enthusiastic news reporter, and the return of the zombie-like character, "Toti."
"Then once we started thinking about the songs, it brought us back to old commercials we grew up with, and we just thought, 'yes, let’s mess with that,'" Ollis said in an interview with AdWeek.
Ollis also notes that using nostalgia has "millions of moments and truths and experiences to pull from."
And it seems to be a formula the brand has tried and tested, having incorporated a retro theme into one of its previous campaigns, "Might Masher Muncher."
With a clear vision and audience in mind, Totino's latest spots serve as a prime example of a well-executed brand marketing strategy.
Leaning into bizarre imagery and balancing it with surrealist comedy, it's a campaign that isn't afraid to try something different — a move sure to be applauded by its Gen Z audience.
And while not everyone can quite understand this brand of humor, those who do are sure to be converted into fans of Totino's.
Breakfast the Totino's Way
The 15-second spot titled "Wakey Wakey" starts off with a woman getting out of bed as she is greeted by a freakish smiling sun puppet from outside her window.
She brings a plate of Totino's to her table and eats her breakfast with her dad as they watch the morning news.
"New Totino's breakfast is here, over to you," the news reporter says as the camera pans to her co-host "Toti" — a humanoid creature made out of the snack bites.
The commercial ends with a hero shot of the new breakfast offering.
Meanwhile, "Momstache" starts with a teenage boy waking up from bed.
He heads to the kitchen, where he forcefully grabs a box of Totino's from an unknown entity living in his freezer.
After having the bites microwaved, he enjoys them at the dining table, where he is greeted by his mom who has grown a mustache made out of Totino's snacks.
She smiles at him before we get a hero shot of the product.
"Start the Day the Totino's Way," the screen writes, as the spot ends.
Dentsu is a global leader in the world of advertising and marketing, working with big brands like Burger King, Oreo, and Crayola.
Recently, the agency worked on a summer campaign with Spotify diving into the "Summer Hits Symptoms."
Editing by Katherine 'Makkie' Maclang
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