Welcome to Will It Stick, a podcast hosted by Alexis and Melissa as they seek to break down the craziest marketing brand stunts. From what sparked the idea, to whether the stunt proved successful, they take listeners on a journey of brand history. In this episode, they take a look at some odd food-themed stunts and campaigns, beginning with Kraft’s limited-edition mac and cheese flavored ice cream launched on National Mac and Cheese day 2021. The ice cream flavor, in collaboration with Van Leeuwen ice cream company, went viral.
First, Melissa takes us on the journey of spray butter. I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter has a long history of embracing the fun side of cooking. This summer, the company launched the campaign “Not Butter Summer” with the agency Glow, to encourage people to get back to grilling this summer. It was a purely digital campaign, utilizing food influencers to spread the message. One lucky winner will win a prize package including a hot tub, grill, cooler and a year’s supply of Not Butter and garnered 14,000 sign-ups just after a few days.
Next, we get a look at the stunt launched by Popeye’s for weary airline travelers. According to Airlines of America, there was a 57% increase between 2016-2-17 in passengers traveling with animals, many of which were reported as emotional support animals. In 2018 this trend, Popeye’s offered travelers at the Philadelphia International Airport “Emotional Support Chicken” just in time for the holiday season. The box was specifically packaged to bring along on their flight. The stunt only lasted a few days in one airport, but still garnered much attention from many major news stations.
Oatly, the original oat drink company, paid somewhere around $5 million for its 2021 Super Bowl commercial. The commercial was originally produced in 2104 in Sweden, where it was banned by the Swedish Dairy Lobby who sued the company. Once the brand gained momentum in the U.S. a few years later, they decided to use the old commercial in the most prime time spot. Though many people hated the commercial, it was awesome brand awareness on their part thanks to the sheer number of people talking about it. They created a shirt that said “I totally hated that Oatly commercial”, which sold out on their website.
Lastly, we are transported back to the holiday season and another chicken-themed campaign. KFC wants your cozy fireplace to smell like a chicken with their 11 herbs and spices fire log. First launched in 2018, the fire log sold out within 3 hours. Because of its success, KFC has launched an environmentally-friendly product every year since and sells out every time. Now, you can purchase the logs on Amazon or at Walmart.
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Check out some of the great articles we sourced to gather all the facts for this episode.
The Grocer – “The 19 Best PR Stunts of ’19 in Food & Drink, and Two That Backfired”
Ad Age – “See Oatley Bring a 2014 Ad Banned in Sweden to the U.S. for Its Super Bowl Debut”
Delish – “You Can Buy KFC Chicken-Scented Fireplace Logs at Walmart”
Watch the Oatly Commercial
Watch the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Video
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