A square of one hundred percent whole wheat is supposed to make the morning routine crunchier between the teeth. The product is called Shreddies, and it was first introduced in 1939. And eaten.
Shreddies are popular in Commonwealth countries and in Canada. And in the United States? Not there, because Shreddies are not offered in the United States of America.
A Canadian advertising agency employed an intern during the summer holidays. The young man was 26 years old and no slouch. Because it was in that very head that an idea crystallised — one that could not have been more absurd. The intern rotated one of the Shreddies 45 degrees. Whether to the left or the right makes no difference. But the image — the perspective on that little breakfast pretzel for the Canadian morning — looked completely different. From the straight-lined shape of a square emerged the shape of a rhombus. A diamond.
And the idea began turning in the direction of financial success. The advertising agency organised so-called focus groups with ordinary people from across Canada. The “new” product, Diamond Shreddies, was presented to the participants. Most of them spotted the trick immediately. And said nothing. Out of Canadian politeness, of course — or simply because the game was fun. Everyone played along with the absurd game, willingly and with some amusement.
The Shreddies company then launched Diamond Shreddies as a completely new product. On the shelves of grocery stores, regular square Shreddies boxes stood next to the new diamond Shreddies boxes. An identical product with a different label.
And then the campaign for Diamond Shreddies began to roll — with posters, newspaper ads, and in-store taste tests. Which Shreddies taste better? The square ones or the diamond ones?
The advertising agency and its creative minds ran hot. They presented fictitious customer complaints in television commercials. A common grievance was that both packages sometimes contained the wrong shapes. Diamond-shaped ones mixed in among the square-shaped ones.
And what followed from the “complaints”? Simple enough: yet another new product — the Combo Pack Shreddies. Containing both the diamond-shaped and the regular square-shaped ones.
The next “complaint” followed hot on its heels: “The quantities of the two shapes are unevenly distributed.”
Barely had the Diamond Shreddies been introduced when they were completely sold out within a few months.
Thanks to Diamond Shreddies, the company’s revenue rose by a healthy 18 percent. On top of that, the campaign swept up numerous awards from the advertising industry.
So what is this story telling us?
That Canadian consumers are too dim?
That they enjoy being taken for a ride?
No. The absurd runs in Canucks’ blood.
The British influence that preceded the founding of the sovereign Canadian state has remained in the country — and in the heart of Canada.
And so Canadian consumers played along enthusiastically. And with their wallets.
And the beaver laughed up its sleeve.
(Story inspired by Tod Maffin https://todmaffin.com)
