Who: Kellogg Canada (Cheez-It brand), with Leo Burnett Canada for strategy and creative, Someplace Nice for production (directed by Pierre Dalpé), School for editing, The Vanity for post, and Eggplant Music for sound. Starcom for media.

What: “Official Cheese and Crunch Experts Weigh In,” a new brand spot showcasing the absurd lengths the cracker brand will go to when it comes to perfecting its product. It’s part of the “Cheez-It Perfection Headquarters” brand platform.

When & Where: It’s running nationally (English and French) through 2022, using a mix of 30-, 15- and six-second spots running across TV and online.

Why: Cheez-It celebrated its 100th birthday last year, but Kellogg only brought the cracker brand to Canada in January 2020. That was welcome news for those Canadians who had been stocking up on Cheez-Its during their visits to the U.S. (fortuitous timing, too, given that travel between the two countries has been restricted for the better part of two years). “The ad is a reminder that [Cheez-It] is the satisfying answer to those cheesy crunchy snack cravings,” said Leo’s co-chief creative officer, Steve Persico.

How: The spot takes viewers inside Cheez-It headquarters, where lab coat-wearing testers sample the crackers for the quality of attributes such as cheesiness and crunchiness. The first stop on their tour is the cheese station, where an employee has spent so much time grating cheese it has led to her having one absurdly muscular arm. At the crunch testing station, seismology equipment is used to test the crackers’ crunch factor—with predictably earth-shaking results.

And we quote: “Building on the successful 2020 launch of Cheez-It crackers in Canada and the inaugural spot ‘Connoisseurs’, we wanted to take our absurd pursuit of Cheesy Crunchy Satisfaction to even greater heights,” said Christine Jakovcic, vice-president marketing and nutrition, Kellogg Canada Inc.