General Mills gives Lärabar first TV advertising push

By Vince Bamford

- Last updated on GMT

The Lärabar TV ad is set to the song 'Little Boxes'
The Lärabar TV ad is set to the song 'Little Boxes'

Related tags Food

General Mills has launched the first TV advertising for the Lärabar snack brand it acquired in 2008.

A one-minute commercial is set to a remake of the song ‘Little Boxes’ - performed by indie pop band Lucius – and tells consumers that while “some​ [products] have food dyes and sugar and some are made with preservatives​”, Lärabar is made with “real food”.​ The campaign will also feature 15-second commercials.

This is a huge moment for Lärabar​,” said brand founder Lara Merriken. “The new commercial depicts the vision I had when creating the bars, and I couldn’t be more proud​.”

Unique flavors and simple ingredients

The brand’s origins date back to 2003 when it was created in the kitchen of Merriken’s Colorado home and was known as Lara’s Bars. Her original mission was to make bars with unique flavors, with “simple, real ingredients​” such as fruits, nuts, and spices.

General Mills bought the brand in 2008, and it now offers more than 20 flavors of its Original Fruit & Nut Food Bar.

Lärabar is one of the fastest growing cereals/snacking bars, with sales up 16.1% year on year to $76.1m [IRI 52w/e December 27 2015] in a static category.

Now is the perfect time to talk about Lärabar in a big way because more people are looking for foods with simple ingredients​,” said associate marketing manager Rosanne Ranta. “These commercials are inspired by Lara and bring Lärabar to life in a unique, fun and joyful way​.”

The Food Made From Food campaign was officially launched at an event on Tuesday in New York City at The Bowery Mission, when Merriken presented a $150,000 donation from Lärabar to hunger relief organization Feeding America.

Partnership with Feeding America

We believe the foundation of a sound mind, body and spirit is derived from what you eat – and what you eat is most delicious and satisfying when it’s in a whole, natural state​,” said Lara. “Our success is a testament to others sharing that same belief and I’m excited to expand the accessibility of real food through our partnership with Feeding America​.”

General Mills has been ramping up activity around natural foods in recent years, and earlier this month announced it was acquiring Texas-based ethical meat snacks manufacturer Epic Provisions.

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