Hasta La Creative!

General Mills is deploying a new weapon in its battle with Kellogg Co. for breakfast dollars: a quirky German boy who comes from a mythical island called Breakfrg. The character, named Hans Strudel, will star in new ads for Toaster Strudel that Brand Manager John Williams characterized as “one of the largest campaigns that we will have within the company.”

Strudel, which is part of the marketer’s Pillsbury portfolio, has already been getting significant support in recent years with measured media spending of roughly $35 million in both 2011 and in 2012, according to Kantar Media. But sales of the 27-year-old frozen breakfast pastry brand have sagged a bit of late, falling by 1.1% to $204 million in the 52 weeks ending July 14, according to IRI.

By contrast, sales of Kellogg’s Pop Tarts grew 5.0% to $668 million in the same period. And that figure does not include line extensions such as the new “Gone Nutty” peanut butter and chocolate peanut butter varieties, which launched in the spring and have already reached nearly $10 million in sales, according to IRI. An ad by Leo Burnett features an animated Pop Tart character swimming in a peanut butter spa bath.

Continue reading at AdAge.com