The Strange Appeal of the Rice Krispies Treats Ads
Posted Monday, June 26, 2000, at 2:53 PM ETSeveral weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal noted a small trend in what it called "ouch ads"--that is, various bits of print and broadcast advertising featuring imagery that makes you wince. A guy with a disk drive slot in the top of his bald head. Someone with their eyes pried open. That sort of thing. Another example: an ad for Rice Krispies Treats that's set on a subway and involves the loss of a limb. (You can see the ad here, via the Web site Adcritic.com, which requires the use of QuickTime.) And there's another Rice Krispies Treats ad that's perhaps even weirder. (See it here.) Actually I don't think either of these ads is wince-worthy, but they're both pretty fascinating.
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StumbleUponThe ads: In the first spot, a man is standing in the middle of a grubby subway car, gripping a strap. "Do you hate going to work?" asks a voice-over in an accent that sounds vaguely European. The rider loses his balance and takes a tumble, landing flat on his back. Fellow passengers sit by with Bergman-esque detachment. "You can make the commute more pleasurable with Rice Krispies Treats squares," goes the voice-over. So the man mashes a sticky Rice Krispies Treat into his hand, and grips the strap with that. Again the train lurches, and our strap-hanger loses his footing. The good news is the Rice Krispies Treat holds. The bad news is the guy's arm doesn't, and it snap-crackle-pops off his body at the shoulder, leaving him to tumble once again. The announcer chimes in, "Rice Krispies Treats: Great for grip. Best when eaten." The commuter bites into a treat, held by his new prosthetic claw. Hungry?
The second spot opens with a shot of a heavy, pale, bearded man, floating in an above-ground pool. A cheesy, 1970s-ish tune plays in the background. "If you're lonely," says the same droll announcer from the subway ad, "and don't have any friends to go swimming with, consider making one with Rice Krispies Treats squares." The fat man is now floating in his little pool--with a woman made of Rice Krispies Treats. She's wearing a bikini, and is instantly reminiscent of a life-size inflatable doll, like the one Dennis Hopper's character lived within River's Edge. Soon he's putting suntan lotion on her, then squirming around under her outstretched hand, as though she were slathering it on him. In the background music, the word "Kelly" is sung repeatedly, and I think we are to surmise that this is the Krispie-doll's name. "But remember," the announcer says, as the fat guy comes strutting out of the house in sunglasses and a robe, holding two drinks in coconut shells--"never to leave your friend alone by the pool." A dog is standing there with the Kelly's head in his mouth. The fat guy is shown from above, cradling his decapitated friend in his arms, and crying "Keelllly!!" to the heavens. "Rice Krispies Treats," the announcer says brightly, as the image switches to the fat guy's mouth, chewing a treat. "Great for making friends. Best when eaten."
What they're trying to say: Shock tactics are nothing new in advertising, of course. Someone from the agency that did the commuter ad explained to the Journal that the goal is to get the attention of teen-agers. If that's the case, then the ads seem to be trying to associate Rice Krispies Treats with a certain sensibility--hip and knowing, but not above low humor. So the treat is being sold less as a treat than as a kind of signifier: If you "get" these ads, then perhaps Rice Krispies Treats are an appropriate addition to your "lifestyle."
What could they possibly mean? On the other hand, maybe it's not a signifier at all. Certainly there's a total disconnect between the people in the ads and the product--you don't want to be the fat guy in the pool with the Krispies doll. So maybe the idea is just to get a kid's attention in any way possible, and then slip in a brand name and hope it sticks. In that case it doesn't really matter what the ads are about, as long as they stand out. Actual product attributes are explored only in the least conventional manner possible, which is maybe for the best, since my vague recollection of Rice Krispies Treats is that they tasted like something that might have been put to better use as a packing material. Anyway, the ads certainly hold the attention. The commuter spot is very funny; the other one is certainly memorable, kind of in the way that Blue Velvet is memorable.
The grade: Let's say B+. That's probably overly generous, since I'm kind of skeptical that these ads will move Krispies units. I'm not sure if these spots will stand out for teen-agers or not, but I think they're great.
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Reader Response from The Fray:
Every day, it seems, we get another reminder of just how depraved the average American psyche is. It's pathetic. I'd boycott the makers except for the fact that I haven't eaten Rice Krispies in over 40 years (and don't intend to start again). Or any pre-packaged cereal, for that matter. And Rice Krispie Treats? See the story today about all the American fat kids. Our culture of plenty will die under its own weight, I'm afraid. All the poor countries have to do is sit tight and wait for the fat boy (USA) to fall.
--Chazroma
(To reply, click here.)
The shocker ads for Rice Krispies are clever, but the product is not. Take it from someone who's been eating Rice Krispies Treats for over 25 years: the store-bought product isn't nearly as good as the homemade treat. If anything, these ads will result in sales of the boxed cereal in order to make the real thing.
--Edie Mukahirn
(To reply, click here.)
(6/27)
The ads are hilarious. I hope this trend keeps up. You may be right that the ads won't positively effect sales in the short term: they probably are a bit over the top for the buying public, and may even be counter-productive among some groups. Nevertheless, I suspect ads with this kind of energy and freshness will find a following. Moreover, these days we have a profundity of media sources and the market has shown a clear trend to cater to specialized audiences, so these ads will find a home. Additionally, while I don't think these ads would influence most rational adults (unless of course ads such as these appeal on a far more subliminal level than I would suspect), I do think they will appeal to age groups more apt to have purchase decisions influenced by hip, cool, trendy ads.
--Jim Owens
(To reply, click here.)
Rice Krispies are great, and the idea isn't to get teenagers interested. If you're a fat man who likes inflatable love dolls, it's OK, Rice Krispies are for you. They understand you and don't judge you. There are a lot of fat lonely guys out there, a company could do well aiming at a demographic like that.
--Chris Kirby
(To reply, click here.)
The single-serving, prepackaged treats you buy at the convenience store taste like cardboard. The ones my mom used to make, following the recipe off the box, were the greatest. The fact that they can't follow their own decades-old recipe says plenty about the company. Teenagers are not very discriminating when it comes to spending money, and coolness is a much more valuable commodity than quality or talent, as Britney Spears or the Backstreet Boys can tell you. We all know that teenagers are the only demographic that have the cash and lack the sense to buy these things. For the rest of us, I suggest rice cakes. They taste better.
--Sonny
(To reply, click here.)
[From the Fray Editor: The literal taste issue continues to worry the Fray nearly as much as the moral taste issue. Posters are haunted by this question: Rob, didn't your Mom ever make you any?]
(6/28)