Alpen’s new ad features a giant fluffy red character called Ralph, who could be described as a chilled-out, grown-up version of the Honey Monster of Sugar Puffs fame. This one has been around the block a few times; after 30 years in the “cereal mascot game”, all he wants is to enjoy a nice bowl of muesli from his alpine lodge – which he devours with gusto.

“Alpen has always been viewed as an adult choice, but this doesn’t mean it’s a choice that comes at the cost of joy,” said Matt Sadler, strategy director at Mother. “We wanted to ensure the campaign maintained a nostalgic and playful attitude whilst positioning muesli as a delicious marker of maturity that breakfast eaters will love getting their teeth into.”

The ad campaign follows the recent launch of Alpen’s new packaging and identity design by BrandOpus, featuring an updated wordmark, colour palette and illustration style.

Between Surreal’s lighthearted approach to advertising and Kellogg’s introducing a supersized version of its cockerel emblem in its latest campaign, creatives are clearly having quite a bit of fun with the cereal category at the moment. Alpen’s new campaign marks its own semi-playful, semi-mature entry into the arena.

Credits:
Agency: Mother
Production Company: Mindseye
Director: Eros V
Edit House: Stitch
Post-Production Company: Black Kite
Sound: No8