In 2016, a young girl called Eleven wandered into a grocery store and openly shoplifted four boxes of Kellogg’s Eggo waffles. Oh, and she got away with it using her psychokinetic abilities. What might sound like a trending Twitter Moments story is actually one of the most memorable scenes from the Netflix original series, Stranger Things. In season one, Eleven built a tight friendship with Mike, Dustin, and Lucas as they searched for the missing Will Byers, but she also helped put Eggo Waffles back into the spotlight as her favorite snack.
Here’s the twist though — Stranger Things takes place in the early 1980s, in an era when Eggo waffles were dominating breakfast tables everywhere. For viewers watching the supernatural show in 2016, a whole new generation discovered what it meant to “L’Eggo My Eggo” and ate up every second of it on and off the series. And they weren’t alone either, as Kellogg’s fed the fan frenzy with a throwback Eggo commercial in the Super Bowl LI that quickly dissolved into a teaser spot for Stranger Things 2.
[blockquote author=”” pull=”pullright”]In 2016, a young girl called Eleven wandered into a grocery store and openly shoplifted four boxes of Kellogg’s Eggo waffles. [/blockquote]
With less than a week to go before Stranger Things debuts its second season on Friday October 27, we spoke to Trinh Le, director of frozen breakfast marketing at Kellogg’s, to find out how Eggo is answering fan hunger and hype with everything from pop-up spoiler blockers to DIY Halloween costume accessories.
Let’s open with the big (spoiler alert-ish) question on everyone’s minds… Are Eggo Waffles back this season?
Yes! We were really excited to see Eggo make an appearance in the latest Season 2 trailer, but other than that hint, you’ll have to wait and see what happens next…
The plot thickens! There’s no doubt that Eggo waffles will be munched on during themed viewing parties — how is Kellogg’s helping super fans prep for the premiere?
Because there are nine episodes in this season, Eggo has created custom recipes for a nine-course waffle menu so that fans can throw the ultimate viewing party or just properly accompany their binge-watching couch session. These recipes allow you to upgrade Eggo waffles into mini pizzas, BLTs, and elaborate desserts like the above image showcases using ice cream, bananas, strawberries, and whipped cream to turn ordinary Eggo waffles into extraordinary treats.
For anyone who will be on social networks before the premiere and wants to avoid spoilers, we’ve also create a pop-up spoiler blocker for fans — better known as “L’Eggo My Spoiler” — that you can download on Google Chrome. Mega fans of the series have also received a custom toaster emblazoned with a Stranger Things-themed quote, courtesy of Eggo with waffles included.
Eggo also created some custom Halloween accessories too, right?
Correct. We made a DIY step-by-step instruction sheet series on how to transform a waffle box into an Eleven costume accessory, like a chic purse or useful flashlight, for anyone dressing as the character this year.
How did this collaboration even happen? Was it planned between the brand and the show?
We found out about it just after Season One dropped and we started seeing tons of Eggo and Stranger Things mentions on social media. Netflix doesn’t offer any paid placement in their shows, so Eggo’s presence was a really great surprise for the brand. Everyone within the brand and agency teams binge watched the series and loved it. Eggo is truly the show’s biggest fan and the best part of our feature has been engaging with the fans our shared love for Eleven and all things Stranger Things.
How was that Super Bowl teaser spot created? In particular, let’s talk about how the first couple of seconds look eerily like an actual Eggo commercial from the 1980s — was that actual commercial footage being used?
The ad featured in the spot was indeed an actual Eggo commercial that aired in the 1980s. It was created by Leo Burnett and features the classic “L’Eggo My Eggo” tagline. Partnering with Netflix on their Super Bowl ad and all of the social interaction behind it was one of the biggest highlights of the year. It shows the power of the L’Eggo My Eggo campaign that — just from 2 or 3 seconds of air time — so many people initially thought Eggo was airing a Super Bowl ad!
Because of the series, Eggo’s frozen waffles are riding a wave of popularity on a level quite similar to when the “L’Eggo My Eggo” tagline was first coined in the 1970s and took off all throughout the ‘80s. Who created this phrase and how has it enabled the Eggo brand to endure through the decades?
L’Eggo My Eggo was created by our agency partner — Leo Burnett. They created the L’Eggo My Eggo campaign in 1972, just a couple years after Kellogg purchased Eggo in 1970. From the launch of L’Eggo My Eggo in 1972 until the mid-2000s, L’Eggo My Eggo was central to the brand’s advertising. That campaign helped propel Eggo to the #1 share of frozen waffles, which the brand still holds today.
The success and consistency of the campaign is what made it so iconic and central to an entire generation of consumers. It’s one of the reasons we think it resonates so well in the 1980s timing of Stranger Things.
Image credit: Kellogg’s
