Mission: Possible For Zespri’s Kiwibrothers

Establishing a successful brand character from overseas in the USA isn’t easy. Household name mascots from Japan or Europe get zero recognition here and it can take long, dedicated investment for a brand to build one up.

But the payoff is worth it. At System1 we find time and time again that a Fluent Device – a repeated character or scenario which can drive the storylines of ads – is a powerful commercial asset. A Fluent Device creates familiarity and builds Brand Fluency (quick recognition) like a logo or jingle does but it also entertains in its own right. That’s why so many brands make the investment in animated characters. In an age of shortform social video a fun, familiar, scroll-stopping character can be even more valuable.

In the case of New Zealand brand Zespri and their Kiwibrothers mascots, a Fluent Device has to do more than entertain. Kiwis are a niche produce item in the US and the Kiwibrothers ads reflect that, presenting both the happy animated Kiwibrothers and the fruit itself as a new arrival. This latest Mission:Impossible style social video ad shows the Kiwibrothers scoping out a store, showing off the Zespri display and closes with a “happy spooning” shot showing someone scooping the middle out of a juicy kiwi.

We tested the commercial on Test Your Ad Social, our bespoke social video testing platform. It measures both our standard effectiveness metrics like long-term Star Rating predictions and short-term Spike Rating, and also social-specific measures of attention and Fast Fluency (how quickly viewers pick up on a brand, a vital metric in an era of rapid scrolling). How is the Kiwibrothers’ daring raid on American stores playing out in the social arena?

The short durations and need to grab attention quickly mean social video tends to score less well on long-term Star Rating than its TV equivalent. Zespri’s Kiwibrothers spot gets a 3.2-Star Rating, Good in TV terms. But in a medium where over two-thirds of ads score only 1-Star, it’s enough to put Zespri in the top 10% of all social video commercials. The ad also scores well over the social video average on both short-term Spike and on Brand Fluency (impressive as it’s not a familiar brand for most.)

The real power of a great animated mascot comes with the attention measure, though – we see only a shallow dip in attention across the Kiwibrothers’ adventure, telling us that viewers will stick with the juicy pair if they notice them.

The Kiwibrothers began their career in Japan and are already a hit across most of Zespri’s regional markets. They launched in the US last year and this ad is part of the next leg of Zespri’s campaign, emphasising the refreshing, juicy taste of kiwis as it looks to make inroads into a major market by attracting younger, more adventurous and health-conscious consumers. Zespri has an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of produce brands like Avocados From Mexico and become synonymous with a whole category of produce. A strong Fluent Device is central to that effort: ads like this make the Kiwibrothers’ Mission a great deal more Possible.