A nearly 90-year-old graham cracker brand is defining "wholesome" with a new campaign featuring interracial and gay couples, a tattooed punk rock musician and a single father.
Honey Maid, which is owned by Mondelez International, debuted the campaign today on TV shows including ABC's "The View." The ads are the latest example of mainstream marketers attempting to infuse more diversity into their advertising, as Ad Age outlined today in a story about the new faces of advertising.
The Honey Maid ads show what the brand describes as "real-life stories," including Jason and Tim, a couple raising two sons. Agencies on the campaign include Droga5, New York, for creative and digital; Mediavest for media buying; and Weber Shandwick for PR.
The effort also includes longer looks at the families on YouTube.
"We recognize change is happening every day, from the way in which a family looks today to how a family interacts to the way it is portrayed in media," Gary Osifchin, senior marketing director for biscuits at Mondelez, said in a statement. "We at Honey Maid continue to evolve and expand our varieties to provide delicious, wholesome products so they can be a part of everyday moments of connection in a world with changing, evolving family dynamics."
A Mondelez spokeswoman said the media plan includes a "broad buy across various TV networks." On social media the brand is asking followers to share photos "of their own wholesome family connections" using the hashtag #thisiswholesome.
It's still early and the campaign hasn't generated a ton of feedback yet. But most of the reviews appear to be positive so far.
Just saw the new @HoneyMaidSnacks commercial featuring gay dads, metalhead parents, and diverse families. Awesome job, guys #thisiswholesome
— Domy (@Domorrigana) March 10, 2014
