Cheech, Chong and Fiber One? Now that's bold

September 21, 2011

General Mills Corporate Communications

When General Mills unveiled a strategy called “Bold Experiments" in 2008, it was supposed to lead to edgier advertising campaigns. So Fiber One has done just that, with a large splash of humor.   To promote the new Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownie, the brand hired '70s comedy team Cheech Chong.   Richard “Cheech” Marin is now 65, and Tommy Chong is 73. They’re seniors. So as they head to the fictitious Flaming Pole festival in their “Magic Brownie Adventure” video, the “magic” ingredient in their brownies is fiber.

The video captures the nostalgia of the 1960s and '70s with a humorous and engaging feel that brings "those magic brownies of long ago back to today’s pop culture with our own Fiber One twist,” says Jim Wilson, marketing manager for the General Mills Snacks division.

“One of the ways we thought could be really interesting was promoting magic brownies with Cheech and Chong, the joke being that now that they’re getting older they need a new magic in their diet. So we swap fiber into their brownies."

Humor has worked with brand before The core campaign behind the new Fiber One brownie highlights that adults can have the indulgent chocolate they crave and still gain a health benefit. The complementary video aims to continue to make the Fiber One brand more approachable and contemporary.

The brand did that before with a campaign called Coping With Disbelief, in which a fictional doctor tried to help people who had a hard time believing in things, including the fact that a high-fiber cereal can taste great.

The new Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownie comes in Chocolate Fudge and Chocolate Peanut Butter flavors, and has 5 grams of fiber.  The American Dietetic Association recommends that adult women consume 25 grams of fiber per day and that adult men consume 38 grams daily. 

 

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