Anyone Can Be Your Grandma in These Funny, Awkward Ads for Grandma's Cookies

The first campaign for Grandma's cookies from Goodby, Silverstein & Partners wrestles with a timeless question: "Are you my grandma?" This twisted take on the kids' classic Are You My Mother? combines the delightful naiveté of the 1960 P.D. Eastman book with a deepening sense of confusion. It seems the nostalgia sparked by the smell of a cookie can quickly lead even straight-laced adults astray. The first spot, "Park," demonstrates that this sort of pining for days gone by easily transcends race and gender. Also, knitting can quite literally be a hobby for everyone. That one did very slightly warm our cold, cold hearts. And it turns out the Grandma's phenomenon also eliminates the age gap between one's grandparents and one's primary school classmates. "The opportunity to work on Grandma's cookies immediately took us to a nostalgic place," GS&P creative director Jon Wolanske tells AdFreak. "This is a brand we all grew up with. They're cookies we'd see next to the register in convenience stores, or that our folks would buy for us on road trips. So when it came to thinking of creative ideas, I think we went to a place of imagining Grandma's from a child-like perspective." That said, adults are hardly immune to the cookies' charms—and they can somehow make things even more awkward. "The name Grandma's is all about nostalgia," says copywriter Colin Nissan. "We wanted to show just how powerful the nostalgia is for these cookies." Art director Sean Farrell adds: "It seemed really funny to us to take the ultimate comfort food and somehow make it really, really uncomfortable." On that note, the last ad in the series is also the most unsettling. Now who wants a cookie?! "The comedy comes from the tension or awkwardness that's created when anyone can adopt the nurturing power of a grandma—no matter the situation or environment," says Wolanske. "In an office break room. Or a school cafeteria. Or a serene park. When you open a package of Grandma's cookies, you unleash that inner Grandma power." Nissan couldn't help but add, "Whether you like it or not." GS&P has worked with Grandma's parent company Frito-Lay for some time, but this campaign marks the agency's first work for the classic cookie brand. Here's hoping future ads keep things just as weird. CREDITS Client: Grandma's Cookies Title of Creative Work: "Break Room," "Park," "Cafeteria" Agency: Goodby Silverstein & Partners Creative Co-Chairmen: Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein Executive Creative Director / Partner: Margaret Johnson Creative Director: Jon Wolanske Art Director: Sean Farrell Copywriter: Colin Nissan Production Executive Producer: Hilary Coate Senior Producer: Conor Duignan Account Services Group Account Director: Brian McPherson Account Director: Meredith Williams Account Manager: Lisa Kourakos Assistant Account Manager: Levi Russell Brand Strategy Brand Strategy Director: Ralph Paone Business Affairs Director of Business Affairs: Judy Ybarra Business Affairs Manager: Jane Regan Business Affairs Manager: Kelli Cline Production Company Company Name: Hungry Man Director: Dave Laden Managing Partner / Executive Producer: Kevin Byrne Executive Producer: Dan Duffy Producer: Caleb Dewart Editorial Company Company Name: HutchCo Editor: Jimmy Hutchins Assistant Editor: Patrick O'Leary Executive Producer: Jane Hutchins Telecine Company Name: HutchCo Colorist: Jonny Mcpheeters VFX / Finishing Company Name: HutchCo Lead Flame: Austin Hickman-Fain Music Composers: Derek and Brandon Feichter Sound Design Company Name: One Union Sound Designer: Eben Carr Producer: Lauren Mask Mix Company Name: One Union Sound Designer: Eben Carr Producer: Lauren Mask

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Anyone Can Be Your Grandma in These Funny, Awkward Ads for Grandma's Cookies

Just like she used to make

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