It’s said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If Weetabix is on your morning menu, then expect to have enough “fuel” to (re)write a fable. Turns out that a nutritious meal such as Weetabix is enough to “slightly” change the storyline of a famous, classic tale. At least, that’s what we concluded after watching the cereal brand’s latest ad part of the ‘Have you had your Weetabix?’ campaign.

Developed with the help of creative agency BBH London and simply titled “Wolf,” the brand’s spot delivers “an instant nostalgia jolt for audiences of a certain age,” according to the agency, carrying the viewers through the story of the Three Little Pigs and their plans to save themselves from the Big Bad Wolf. There are many versions of the tale. Yet, the fate of the pigs or of the wolf varies, depending on which version one knows best.

One of the versions states that the first two pigs are devoured by the wolf, which is then eaten by the third pig to avenge the death of its siblings. In other adaptations, all the pigs live, while the wolf is portrayed as either dead, running away, or fainting after it tries to blow down the third pig’s house. Although it is inspired by this classic tale, Weetabix’s version is more modern and has a different ending.

Created in a Looney-Tunes-like style, the three pigs make a cameo as part of the cereal brand’s plan to show the audiences how a bowl of a Weetabix in the morning can change the day for the better — in this case, equipping the villain of the story with the energy it needs to make it through the day. The first part of the fable is pretty much similar to the version most of us know — the wolf fails to capture the first two pigs.

Helpless and with their houses destroyed, the two pigs seek their brother’s help, whose house is built of bricks and, therefore, solid enough to protect them against the wolf’s huffs and puffs. Well, a strong house such as the third pig’s could prevent the little pigs from ending in the wolf’s belly, but not in the story recreated by the London-based agency. You see, the Big Bad Wolf had Weetabix in the morning and nothing — not even a house made of bricks — can stand in its way to get its claws on the pigs.

“‘Have you had yours?’ has become part of our nation’s everyday language, and our mission with BBH is to create campaigns as memorable as our slogan. With ‘Wolf,’ we think we have achieved just that,” explained Gareth Turner, Head of Marketing at Weetabix.

“We continue to lead investment in the cereal category to ensure Weetabix remains front of mind throughout the nation with those looking for a nutritious and affordable breakfast. This fun and memorable advert is part of our next wave of marketing to promote our legendary yellow box, and we’re certain it will also have a halo effect on the rest of the Weetabix portfolio,” Turner continued.

Felipe Guimaraes, Deputy Executive Creative Director at BBH, concluded: “Weetabix has a long and popular history of taking famous and legendary stories and tearing up the script, which is why these campaigns are always brilliant fun to work on. The truth is anyone can benefit from a Weetabix breakfast, even the Big Bad Wolf.”

The “Wolf” kicked off on television and social media on May 16th and represents the start of a long-term campaign with an annual marketing spend of £14m behind it. You can check the new version below. Oh, and by the way, if you pay enough attention, you’ll notice there are some modern touches hidden within the hand-drawn animation — the most obvious change is visible in the pigs’ looks. But before we say “that’s all, folks!”, you should know there are other interesting elements included in the new story. Can you spot them?

Credits:

Client: Weetabix

Advertising Agency: BBH London

CCO: Alex Grieve

Executive Creative Director: Helen Rhodes

Deputy Executive Creative Director:  Felipe Guimaraes

Copywriter: Grace Chambers

Art Director: Lucy Johnstone

Strategy Director: Fran Griffin

Business Lead: James Rice

Account Director:  Caitlin Quigley

Agency Producer:  Jemima Bowers

Media Agency: iProspect

Production Company: Stink

Director: Goldenwolf

Producer: Jenny King/Jeremy Smith

Post-Production Company: Goldenwolf/ETC/Unit

Audio Post-Production Company: String and Tins

Photographer: Jonathan Knowles