Holiday Heist
It’s the most wonderful – and competitive – time of the year. If you work in promotions, you know that Christmas is when every product on the planet delivers some type of discount, premium, or special pack. My money says even Ebenezer Scrooge would have a holiday promotion for his firm. So how does a brand break through the clutter, appeal to moms and kids, and excite the trade?
That’s the challenge client M&M/Mars gave us for its Holiday Miniatures brands. A few brainstorms, late nights, and eggnogs later we had a solution that was both strategic and creative: Guess Who Ate Santa’s Miniatures & Win!
Three key steps were taken to build excitement. We borrowed the equity of some of the most beloved characters of the season – Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman, Burgermeister Meisterburger, Herbie the Elf, and others from the Golden Books Home Video collection. We created an interactive whodunit focusing attention on the products, which were Snickers, Milky Way, 3 Musketeers, and Twix Miniatures. And we offered a prize that’s in great demand around the holidays: cash.
In-store displays, 12 million specially marked packages, and a supporting FSI encouraged consumers to call 1-888-WHO-ATE-THEM to participate in the sweepstakes. After listening to Santa tell the story of the missing Miniatures, callers could take their best guess as to who had performed the surreptitious scarfing. Packaging delivered a lineup of potential culprits as well as the story surrounding the mysterious disappearance to add to the intrigue. The most shocking revelation was that Santa’s favorite snack was Miniatures, not cookies.
In-store displays delivered a coupon for $1 off the purchase of Holiday Miniatures and one of the Golden Books Home Videos as an added bonus. Critical to the program’s success was the attention-getting design carried through all the elements. The color usage, font style, and character images taken from film footage of the Golden Book TV specials combined to create instant recognition and a playful tone.
With the inter-generational appeal of the characters, the excitement of the sweeps, and display materials the trade could get behind, this was one seasonal promotion that met and exceeded its objectives. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. And he loves Holiday Miniatures.
