Leggo my Eggo!

I was just watching the morning news when, right before the traffic report, the newscasters presented a short story on an apparent Eggo waffle shortage. A few seconds of video showing maple syrup being poured over an Eggo waffle with those two little butter squares that are so unmistakably-Eggo flashed on the screen, before the newscasters happily exclaimed that despite the shortage, Eggo waffles can be found at local Costco stores.

And then they said it: “Leggo my Eggo!” And it occurred to me that a paid commercial could not have done a better job at making me want a classic Eggo waffle for breakfast this morning.

But I hadn’t heard about any shortage. Why is there a shortage? That’s a little ridiculous, so I went to the Eggo website and sure enough, this statement appeared at the very top of the homepage:

You may have noticed that some of your favorite Eggo® Products are out of stock. We are working hard to get all of our products back into grocers’ freezers as quickly as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your continued support.
If you are interested in receiving periodic updates from the Eggo® brand about your favorite products, including news about when they will back on shelf, please click here. Thank you for your patience. Learn More

I followed the link to Learn More and learned that there was a flood at the Eggo bakery in Atlanta that created supply constraints. Wow.

I’d like to think that this thing is some guerilla marketing publicity stunt, but sadly I am pretty sure it is not. The fact that I couldn’t even find a good image of an Eggo waffle anywhere online makes me aware that Eggo’s viral marketing strategy isn’t at the top of their “to do” list. On their website I didn’t see any links to Twitter or Facebook, and after looking at their products, I realized the reason I stopped buying Eggo waffles in the first place several years ago: Eggos are for kids! They aren’t really marketed to adults for adults.

Eggo is missing out though. I, long with many other adults, will always have a soft spot for the the classic Eggo waffle served with butter and syrup. It really is an icon, and the below images prove it.

Eggo hoodie by Billionaire Boys Club

Eggo waffle made out of lego. Get it? "Leggo my Eggo"?

If adults like Eggo waffles so much, why don’t they market them to us?