Dive Brief:

• The Quaker Oats Company unveiled its first global brand platform, throwing a spotlight on everyday heroes like parents and the comfort and encouragement they can provide, according to a press release. 
• “You’ve Got This” serves as a reset for the PepsiCo-owned oats brand, per the release, and represents its first fully personalized omnichannel campaign, with ads tailored to different markets based on regional consumer habits. Media elements span TV, cinemas, out-of-home, print, social media and digital and mobile advertising.
• The effort is led by a new TV commercial helmed by “Aftersun” director Charlotte Wells that depicts how an affirming morning ritual between father and son is passed down between generations. Quaker joins other marketers in launching global advertising plays that try to better recognize different customs. 

Dive Insight:

Quaker is tugging at the heartstrings with “You’ve Got This,” emphasizing a message that small moments, such as an encouraging word over breakfast, can make a world of difference in someone’s life. The nearly 150-year-old brand has never run a global marketing initiative of this scale before and is approaching the broader canvas with media elements that try to recognize local customs to reach new audiences. 

“Quaker has long been a beloved, potential-filled brand within the PepsiCo portfolio, and ‘You’ve Got This’ is the breakthrough creative platform we need to mark the brand’s next chapter across the globe,” said Ciara Dilley, vice president of marketing at PepsiCo’s global foods group, in a press statement.  

Agency Uncommon Creative Studio handled the campaign while Quaker enlisted BAFTA-winning director Wells to add an emotional punch to the hero creative, a long-form commercial that tracks the ups and downs of a relationship between a father and his son throughout the years. Eventually, the son adopts the same morning routine with his own child, bonding over a bowl of Quaker oatmeal to start the day. “Aftersun,” Wells’ breakout film, also tracks paternal themes and what’s passed down through generations, albeit through a darker lens. 

“You’ve Got This” kicks off a larger strategic platform for Quaker that will have a presence throughout 2024, according to Uncommon Creative Studio Co-Founder Lucy Jameson. Ads are debuting first in Canada and Latin America before expanding to additional markets.

The focus on global consumers comes as Quaker encounters challenges in North America, a key market. The Chicago-based company has been grappling with food recalls since late last year over products potentially contaminated with salmonella. Quaker and PepsiCo are facing a potential class-action lawsuit in Canada over the matter. 

Other brands have set their sights on driving a bigger international impact as marketing spending rebounds from a fallow period. Swedish retail giant Ikea earlier this month also launched its first global campaign with creative that tries to preserve a sense of fun amid the cost-of-living crisis.