The incredibly cheesy adventures of Chez is targeted at kids aged four to 12, and includes six half-hour episodes that have run on Malaysia’s TV3 network. Created by Saatchi & Saatchi Malaysia, the show is an extension of the popular snack food’s TV campaigns from 2004, which featured the brand mascot Chez. The little blue spaceman, with the snack’s shape as eyes, was seen in different adventures hunting for more Cheezels.
“It’s the first time an agency in this country has done this,” said Tina Tong, group account director, Saatchis Malaysia, adding that the idea was conceived a year ago and had been in production since then.
Thematic TV spots featuring Cheezels as chess pieces also accompanied the cartoon’s commercial breaks.
“We had good research and feedback on how much kids loved our Chez campaigns,” said Tong. “Previous campaigns had achieved decent sales for Danone, so we were in a good position to develop this further to drive the brand. What started as an art-jam on paper soon led to pre-production for the cartoon series.”
The cartoon campaign also represented a first for media buyers Mindshare Malaysia.
“In terms of media buying, this is the first time we’ve handed a home-grown cartoon series as well. We worked with Media Prima, the largest free-to-air network in Malaysia, and they were excited when they saw the pilot. They then sponsored station promos on-air to promote the series,” said Chan Wan Lih, Mindshare Malaysia’s manager for the Kraft account.
“In the Malaysian context, it is certainly novel. No one has taken the risk to develop this. Advertising junk food to kids isn’t healthy, so instead of just ads, we were able to do something different.”
The cartoon series’ pilot even knocked perennial favourite Spongebob Squarepants off the TV ratings top spot with a 13-point ratings share. A second season is currently under discussion.
Cheezels is the fastest-growing brand among Danone’s portfolio in the country. The dairy group was recently acquired by Kraft Foods, and will see its US$8 billion biscuit business move to Kraft, with annual revenue now standing at $34 billion.
