Advertiser: Canada Bread (Takis) – Heather Crees, Riona Coller, Stephanie Bell, Neha Pal
Agency: Cossette
Strategy: Michel-Alex Lessard, Mikael Lebleu
Creative: Anne-Claude Chénier, Ben Duquette, Cameron Hudson, David Théroux, Patrick Michaud
Digital: Belinda Potvin, David Fréchette, Kimberley Neill, Luc Mercier, Salima Lhessani, Sin Yi Ma, Sylvain Jacques
Product: Marie-Pier Kerr
Media agency: Spark
Produced by: 1One/Anthony Ayotte
Sound: Apollo
Public relations: Axelle Techer
Published: July 2018
Synopsis:
As a new player in a fiercely competitive snack category, Takis has launched its very first Canada-wide campaign with a shocking message: DON’T EAT TAKIS. The brand, which targets young adults, is using reverse psychology to make its mark.
“In a context where everyone is vying for consumers’ attention, we had to create a message that was strong and impactful, even if people’s reaction was simply to ask, ‘What are Takis, anyway?”, explains Heather Crees, SVP Marketing at Canada Bread, which manufactures the brand.
It’s through the message DON’T EAT TAKIS that the brand conveys each flavour’s unique characteristics—it’s too spicy (Takis Fuego), it’s too crunchy (Takis Xplosion), and it’s too intense (Takis Angry Burger).
“The message we’re sending consumers at each point of contact is don’t eat Takis, don’t follow us on Facebook or Instagram, and don’t visit our website. We hide the logo. We block out the product. We purposely don’t play by the normal rules. Why? People here have never seen chips this intense, so it's our duty to warn them!” say Anne-Claude Chénier, Vice-President, Creative Advertising, and Michel-Alex Lessard, Vice-President, Strategy at Cossette.
What’s more, since the campaign launched, Takis has switched its Instagram page to private mode in an attempt to discourage users from following it. Naturally, it had the opposite effect.
In three videos, Takis drives home its message when it surprises consumers who fail to heed its warnings. Rest assured that no one was harmed during the making of these videos. All “victims” walked away with smiles on their faces… and a bag of Takis!
The national offensive is being rolled out across several platforms, from out-of-home and posters in the public transit system, to an online component and social networks. Cossette also created the campaign website https://donteattakis.ca/en