Post Shredded Wheat was nearing market extinction. Not surprising, since it’s been the same one ingredient since 1893. (Shredded.)After a year of testing and research, the client concluded what they had on the table was boring. Hooray!The agency was asked to quickly create a new campaign that would create buzz and get people at least talking about Post Shredded Wheat again. We were asked to utilise print, so we created a brand story and entertaining characters so the print would lead to on-line viewing.INSIGHT: Shredded wheat is just one ingredient, which already comes with vitamins, fiber and minerals. It doesn’t need any artificial add-ons or plug-ins. So it’s the view of Shredded Wheat that, when it comes to food in particular, progress is overrated. Shredded Wheat puts the ‘No’ in innovation.

At the time of the launch, Post switched distribution companies to a distributor that missed critical delivery deadlines, making the product hard to find. Sales, however, remained steady - good news considering the situation, which would normally result in significant decline.At the time, media outlets were focused on the negative complexities of our world (finance, housing, bail outs, etc). The idea of a product that put the “no” in innovation was a huge hit. The goal to get people talking about Shredded Wheat succeeded big time. Blogs wrote about the full-page ad and TVC. People asked for “We Put The ‘No’ In Innovation” posters. Comments on Frank Druffel’s Facebook and YouTube channels were so over-the-top in praise of the campaign, many people accused us of scam comments. But nothing need to be made up. Like Frank Druffel, we kept out of the way of a great idea.

Utilizing an existing print buy, we ran full-page ads in the NY Times and WSJ of Frank Druffel’s (the fictional boss) “Open letter on progress” - A tongue in cheek letter outlining how progress ruined the economy, the environment, past civilizations and, of course, food.

A 60 second TV rant from Frank Druffel launched on 60 minutes and Meet the Press, while we launched the first of five on-line films, which told a bigger story about what goes on in a company striving to underachieve. In the fictional web series, we see Frank Druffel put "the 'no' in innovation" any way he can.More print and on-line episodes were released and were a huge hit with the target audience. Frank was too; his Facebook page was constantly bombarded with praise, employment requests and encouragement to run for president.We had succeeded in turning their biggest problem into their product benefit.