Keep Stomachs Happy
The Challenge
Create a campaign letting busy parents know that HOT POCKETS is the go-to for keeping their kids’ stomachs happy this summer.
The Insight
You don’t have to be an expert on teens and tweens to know they aren’t the best at communicating with their parents.
Cheesy, meaty, and ready in minutes—HOT POCKETS are the perfect snack for kids 12 to 18. Teens and tweens should be asking for them by name. But every parent knows communication breaks down in those years.
Our research showed parents struggle with getting their teens to show basic manners. So even with the perfect snack, getting a simple “thank you” can be a hard task.
The Solution
Let the stomach do the talking!
So instead of trying to change teen behavior, we embraced it—translating hunger into the unmistakable sound of a full, happy belly through the form of a wise-talking stomach puppet.
This was our way of showing parents what their kids couldn’t say out loud—and making HOT POCKETS an easy “yes.”
Meet Gus the Gut, the talking stomach puppet that says what your teen won’t (because he’s too busy staring at his phone).
Gus stopped thumbs mid-scroll, serving laughs to parents and making their hungry, un-communicative teens happy.
Our talking stomach connected with parents through multiple concepts across social and digital platforms.
We pulled all the right strings!
