Oikos continues to defy yogurt stereotypes with Super Bowl ad showing different kinds of strength

Featuring football legend Deion ‘Coach Prime’ Sanders, his college quarterback son Shedeur Sanders and his mother, a 30-second spot set to air during the Super Bowl, pits father and son against each other in a competition to see who is the strongest.

Before tackling fetes of strength like raking leaves, chopping wood and elevating cars, Deion Sanders calls out Oikos Triple Zero with 15g of protein per 5.3 ounce serving as his fuel of choice for maintaining “dad’s strength,” while Shedeur Sanders touts Oikos Pro with 20g of protein for the same serving size as his choice “to try and get stronger than dad.”

With Deion Sanders winning two out of the three competitions, he appears to be the strongest, prompting his son to proclaim that he is “getting to dad strength” while snacking on Oikos. To which Deion quips that he can’t get to “dad strength” without being a dad – prompting a fast check by his Deion’s mother, Connie, who usurps the him as the strength-challenge victor when she asks, “Strength? How do you think I gave birth do you and your big head?”

Laughing at the commercial’s surprise ending, Surbhi Martin, vice president, Greek yogurt & functional nutrition at Danone North America, says, “it’s hard to argue that [Connie] isn’t the strongest of them.”​

But for all the ad’s silliness, she said it delivers an important message about who eats yogurt and why.

She explains that the twist showcases how strength comes in many forms and how Oikos’ nutritional benefits can help everyone achieve their goals – reinforcing the brand’s ethos as a “maverick”​ in the category that challenges “those conventions of what you expect a yogurt brand to behave and look like.”​

A strong case for Super Bowl ads​

Danone’s decision to feature Oikos in a Super Bowl ad for the third straight year also underscores how one of the most watched football games in America is “a very relevant moment for us to bring our performance portfolio to game day”​ and highlight the sports, fitness, and overall health benefits of Oikos Pro and Oikos Triple Zero, Martin said.

“It is a very effective platform to message the importance of a high protein diet to the right audience at the right time,”​ she explained, pointing to positive consumer responses to Oikos’ ads in 2020 and 2021.

“In the weeks after our game activations both in 2020 and 2021 we saw nearly double-digit sales lift week-over-week after turning on media surrounding our game day activations. In 2021, that lift was 8.2% in dollar sales in the weeks after we turned on media around game day,”​ Martin said.

“So, it’s demonstrated that it is this really culturally relevant moment to lean into conversations around health and fitness, specifically around a high protein diet and the benefits of strength that we contribute to it,”​ she said.

Strengthening the ad’s reach beyond game day viewers​

To make the most of this year’s Super Bowl ad, Danone will surround the spot with a full 360-degree marketing campaign, which will challenge Americans to rethink their morning snack routine with the question, “How strong do you want to be?”​

The campaign will include earned media, influencers and vertically integrated support at the store level, Martin said. This will include taking campaign messaging from the creative to more than 12,000 retailers nationwide.

To drive sampling and outreach to new consumers, Danone will deploy targeted couponing and activation efforts nationwide and tap into retailer-specific media networks, Martin added.

The brand’s efforts will not be limited to brick-and-mortar stores – rather it will be omnichannel.

“We understand that the digital shelf is an important destination where consumers are making choices about their health and well-being every day. As par part of our Game Day integrated marketing efforts, we will be bringing our strength messaging to life via highly visible e-commerce efforts throughout February,”​ Martin said.

“Our goal is to inspire health-conscious shoppers mid-scroll with Oikos strength and protein content that is both informational and inspiration, and in line with the timing of our Game Day activity,”​ she added.

For example, leading up to the Super Bowl, the brand is offering fans the chance to win an limited edition Oikos Strong Bowl – a heavy bowl that doubles as a 15 pound weight, “so people can exercise at the breakfast table as the pump, lift or curl over a protein-packed morning snack,”​ the brand teases in a press release. The content, which will run through Feb. 13, will drive fans to Oikos’ Instagram, where they can also enter to win coupons for a year’s supply of Oikos Triple Zero or Oikos Pro.