Quaker Oats' purpose-led campaign highlights benefits for both body and mind

Quaker Oats, the PepsiCo porridge brand, is launching a new "purpose-led" communications campaign in the U.K., starting with a spot that has a surprising and inspiring twist.

Agency Uncommon created the new work for the brand, positioning it as the breakfast to give you "fire inside" and "fuel you in life." The TV spot starts with a man getting up early in the morning and going off to the boxing ring after his bowl of Quaker Oats; you might expect it's all about his athletic prowess as a boxer, but the final scenes reveal that, after his bout of exercise, he starts the working day as a teacher in a school with his "fire inside." The work is set to the track "Outnumbered" by singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy and it was directed by Ed Morris via Riff Raff Films.

The work positions Quaker Oats as the ideal brand to feed both the body and mind. Given that previous marketing in the category has tended to focus on breakfast giving you physical, rather than mental, energy, it's a twist that feels fresh and modern. 

The campaign is also partnering with food poverty campaign "Magic Breakfast" to highlight child hunger; Quaker Oats will introduce limited-edition packs, removing the porridge from packs to drive awareness and pledging one child’s bowl filled for every pack sold.

The new campaign will run across TV, digital, social and in-store, and the activation will also see the introduction of a new identity across out-of-home, social and in-store.  

"Quaker Oats were made not only to offer a bowl of goodness and warmth, but to act as a fuel for life," said Claire Molyneux, senior marketing manager at PepsiCo, in a statement. "With what we have seen over the past few months, we know this message is more relevant than ever before."