McLEAN, VA: The “Everyone’s Original” campaign for the former Uncle Ben’s is one of the biggest in Mars Food’s history

Ben’s Original, the brand created to replace Uncle Ben’s, is out with an inclusive campaign backed by major media spending nearly a year after the name change was announced amid a global racial reckoning.

The “Everyone’s Original” campaign features a diverse cast of families and friends cooking at home, each group putting its own spin on using Ben’s Original rice with the tagline “We’re all original recipes.” Commercials feature six groups of real families and friends: a Black nuclear family, a pair of friends, three roommates, a single-parent family, a multi-generational Pakistani family, and a family that uses sign language.

“Our priority when selecting the families was to be as inclusive as possible to emphasize our belief that everyone deserves a seat at the table,” says Rafael Narvaez, global chief marketing officer and research and development officer, Mars Food.

The campaign was inspired by the new Ben’s Original brand name, “which not only speaks to the heritage and quality of our rice, but also our vision of inclusivity that celebrates individuality,” says Narvaez.

Each commercial features unscripted moments of cooking, familiar kitchen chaos, and Ben’s Original rice.

Mars Food announced plans to change the name from Uncle Ben’s in September 2020 and updated its packaging in May. The name change was spurred by recognition of racial inequities associated with Uncle Ben’s and other brands that relied on stereotypes such as Black waiters and cooks. The products, mainstays in kitchens for decades, were drawn into the spotlight during the period of racial reckoning and call for justice that followed the killings of Black Americans including George Floyd. Other overhauls included Aunt Jemima dropping its name and likeness to later become Pearl Milling Company.

Now, after minimal marketing that promoted the name change, Ben’s Original is out with what Narvaez describes as one of the largest campaigns in Mars Food’s history, without divulging spending plans.

Mars, which named its rice Uncle Ben’s in 1946 after a Black farmer, doesn’t mention the prior name in the ads. Unscripted commercials show real-life families and friends. According to Narvaez, everyone who appears in the campaign was aware “and supportive,” he says, “of the name change and our evolved brand purpose.”

UK cast, U.S. debut

The commercials were shot this summer in London with COVID-19 protocols in place. “We have aspirations to feature families who live in other areas of the world in the near future,” Narvaez says.

The first series of ads feature a fully UK-based cast, though he points out that many of the families originally came from other countries. The ads come from WPP-backed The&Partnership. After a U.S. debut, there are plans to expand the campaign to Australia, the UK, Germany, Canada and France in the coming months.

In the U.S., commercials are set to appear on TV including on TV One, Food Network and HGTV, print ads set to run in Essence and Taste of Home, online video portals, streaming services, social and search. A portion of U.S. media spending is going toward minority-owned networks including Black Enterprise, Blavity, Her Agenda, Travel Noire, Ebony, TV One and Essence. The company plans to follow a similar model in other markets.

The brand previously announced community outreach including its “Seat at the Table” scholarship fund to support Black culinary students, developed with National Urban League and United Negro College Fund. Later this year, Mars plans to begin funding apprenticeships in the U.K. Other efforts include product donations to organizations including Feeding America and CARE.