Last June, McCann reintroduced French Toast Crunch with “The Tiny & The Tasty,” a campaign featuring ads parodying the daytime soap operas prevalent during the brand’s 90s heyday. Now the agency has launched a followup, “Tiny Celebrities.”
The new spots follow in similar fashion to the absurd humor of their predecessors, only on this season of “The Tiny & The Tasty,” there’s a guest star: Tiny Hamster. In “The Affair,” Tiny Hamster shares a kiss with a co-star before they’re interrupted in typical soap opera fashion…only with more hamster wheels.
“Evil Twin” explores another soap opera trope. Bobbie-Anne returns home to find her husband sitting across the table from his evil twin, Tiny Hamster. “Just look at those beady eyes, plotting against us,” she worries as the hamster stuffs his face with French Toast Crunch. “Guys Night In,” meanwhile, sees Tiny Hamster cheating at cards.
Those who appreciated the mix of ridiculous humor and 90s soap opera nostalgia of “The Tiny & The Tasty” will appreciate the new spots as well. The addition of Tiny Hamster ups the absurdity factor in a way that sort of makes sense for a follow-up campaign. This approach works best in “Evil Twin,” which points out just how ridiculous it is with close ups of the hamster’s eyes as he goes to town on French Toast Crunch. While nothing groundbreaking, it works for the brand, capitalizing on the 90s nostalgia of its original run while incorporating the brand in a way that works most of the time (it feels a bit forced in “Guys Night In” though). We’re not sure there’s enough left in the tank for a third installment, but for now the approach hasn’t entirely worn out its welcome.
The campaign kicked off today and will run through the summer. Expect future spots to feature an appearance from “Luke Perry’s Thumb.”