Cheestrings, the UK’s leading cheese snack brand, is launching a new ad to highlight its calcium
credentials to mums. Part of a £1million campaign, it is set to break on the 22nd of August and will run
until the end of September, in line with the back-to-school period.
The 30’ ad, created by Fallon, is being supported by an extensive online and offline PR campaign,
and features brand ambassador ‘Mr Strings’ in a montage of clips set to a 70s-style track that draws
on his playful nature.
Phil Chapman, Chief Marketing Officer Kerry Foods UK, said:
“Mr Strings is hugely popular with mums, so we wanted to have a little fun with him by making him the
star of a 70s ‘Dallas-esq’ ad. We think it works really well to both capture the attention of mums and
drive home the message about calcium."
Kelly Rafferty, Marketing Director of Dairy, Kerry Foods UK, said:
“Kids love Cheestrings because they are a fun and tasty snack. Even better for Mums they are rich in
calcium, which is essential for healthy bones and teeth. During the busy back-to-school period, we are
going to remind mums that it is a great addition to kids’ lunchboxes.”
‘Mr Strings’ was originally devised by advertising agency Fallon in 2009, who were tasked with
repositioning Cheestrings as a fun brand that helped mum in her daily battle to encourage her
children to eat well. To date, Mr Strings has appeared in 3 ads in the UK, ‘Mr Strings’ (2009), ‘Check
In’ (2010), and ‘Spaghetti’ (2010). The ‘Spaghetti’ ad was particularly successful in turning
Cheestrings Spaghetti into a £3m brand within the short space of a year.
Earlier this year, Cheestrings launched Gino’s ‘Good Food Fight’, a campaign fronted by celebrity
chef Gino D’Acampo aimed at driving brand reappraisal with mums. The activity, running through
parenting website Netmums, engaged mums in a discussion around the challenges of putting
together a healthy, fun lunchbox for kids whilst reinforcing the nutritional credentials of Cheestrings.
Project name: Calcium Mash-up
Creative agency: Fallon
Client & their job title: Phil Chapman, Chief Marketing Officer
Brief: Calcium made fun
Creative Directors: Chris Bovill & John Allison, Peter Gatley
Creatives: Darren Beresford & Rick Gayton
Account Director: Jack Starks
Account Manager: Aaron Cole:
Agency Planners: Michael Hogg & Tom Goodwin
Agency Producer: Lauren Havard
Editor: Zoe Izzard @ MPC
Post-production: MPC
Music (if composed/mixed): Soundtree
Audio post-production: Wave
Media Agency: Vizeum
Media Planner: Vizeum