Ever since Cheerios struck unexpected marketing gold with its subtle ad about an interracial family, brands seem to have woken to the realization that inclusiveness can be a good thing. Or even a great thing.
And this week, no one's more inclusive than Honey Maid. The graham cracker brand has launched a new spot from Droga5 called "This Is Wholesome," featuring real-life parents from many different backgrounds. Although it's only a :30, we see at least five different families, not one of which fits into advertising's usual white, heterosexual paradigm.
There are gay dads, two mixed-race families (one military), a single dad and a punk-rock family that dances around dad's drum kit. This level of ultra-diversity could easily feel forced if the footage hadn't been selected and handled so deftly. The three corresponding documentary clips below also complement the campaign's storytelling and highlight that these are real families and neighbors.
The warmth of the campaign gets doused a bit when corporate parent Mondelez International discusses the ad, but I suppose you have to give them points for practicality. The campaign's news release opens with stats on the number of U.S. single-parent families (20 million) and Hispanic families (11.6 million), along with the fact that one in 12 marriages are interracial.
"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," marketing director Gary Osifchin says 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."
CREDITS:
Client: Mondelez International / Honey Maid
Senior Marketing Director, Wholesome Sweet: Gary Osifchin
Senior Brand Manager: Tracey Benitz
Senior Associate Brand Manager: Funbi Ibe
Agency: Droga5 NY
Creative Chairman: David Droga
Chief Creative Officer: Ted Royer
Executive Creative Director: Kevin Brady
Senior Copywriter: Nathan Lennon
Senior Art Director: David Gibson Chief Creation Officer: Sally-Ann Dale
Head of Broadcast Production: Ben Davies
Producer: Bill Berg
Head of Brand Strategy: Ted Florea
Brand Planning Director: Matthew Springate
Group Communications Strategy Director: Colleen Leddy
Communications Strategist: William de Lannoy
Account Director: Jodi McLeod
Account Manager: Joan Wortmann
Assistant Account Manager: Jasmine McDavid
Production Company: Brainwash
Production Company: Jefferson
Directors: Martin + Lindsay
DOP: Carlos Veron
Executive Producer: John Marias
Producer: Tanya Stephens
Editorial: Lost Planet Editorial
Editor: Christopher Huth
Assistant Editor: Adriana Machado
Executive Producer: Krystn Wagenberg
Producer: Kate McCormick
Postproduction: MPC
Managing Director: Justin Lane
Senior Producer: John Skeffington
Telecine: Adrian Seery
Music: Search Party Music
Executive Producer: Eric David Johnson
Assistant Music Producer: Winslow Bright
Composer: John Askew
Sound: Sonic Union
Mixer: Paul Weiss
