Engaging in creative strategies is a very important aspect especially since marketing is a competitive field. The brand Snickers accustomed with sharp and funny promotions took it to another notch with their smart #SnickersGate marketing campaign. This campaign did not just engage the viewers but also helped foster the motto of the brand which is “You are not you when you are hungry.”
The Birth of #SnickersGate
For the last ten years, Snickers has successfully maintained a storyline that is centered around bad temper when hungry, claiming that having a Snickers bars is handy to appease one’s hunger pangs. In this campaign, the brand decided to take this thought further into their production lines – whimsically wondering what would happen if their own staff ‘were not themselves when hungry’.
And the result? Snickers’ wrappers are deliberately packed with bounty bars, which left a number of and uninformed customers baffled.
The Execution of the Prank
Dishonesty with the Packaging
Bounty bars were purposefully mislabeled with Snickers wrappers by adjusting Snickers wrappers. People who bought these ‘fake Snickers’ were surprised when they found another candy inside.
Social Media Hysteria
The confused consumers had already begun posting their experiences on Twitter and Instagram, obliviously working towards what was part of the campaign’s viral basis; and the reactions started coming in as the first wave of posts sprang up. The hashtag #SnickersGate became popular as other users joined the discussion.
The Big Conclusion
When the tension reached its peak, Snickers dispelled the tension with a comical video showing the prank behind the wrapper. This demonstrates how the confusion was created around the mix up – to test the tagline: “Even we’re not ourselves when we’re hungry,” in its practical sense.
Why the Campaign Was a Hit
There are several reasons for the success of the marketing campaign surrounding Snickers as follows:
Relatability to the Target Audience
Hunger inflammation is common among humans, and this makes the subject relevant across all the markets out there.
Element of Surprise
The unconventional idea of the Bounty being hidden inside the Snickers packaging was quite humorous and memorable as well.
Social Media Marketing
Using viewer/consumer responses made the audience a natural part of the promotion. Every post or tweet, or comment in regard to their advertisement contributed to the advertisement’s objectives.
Marketing Channels Used
There were a couple of reasons why the Snickers marketing campaign was so successful:
Also, the success of the campaign can be explained in terms of the integrated execution of the campaign across several communication media such as:
Snickers facilitated this clownery with videos and interaction with the audience during the after shock phase of the campaign.
The media participation in the campaign and its promotion by famous people confirmed its relevance.
The prank received extensive media attention which contributed to its enhanced publicity.
Results of #SnickersGate
The campaign #SnickersGate reached its goals as follows:
Viral Success: The hoax was the subject of discussion and went to trend with millions of impressions and shares.
Brand Recall: With this campaign, Snikers was able to establish the long-term recall of their tagline through the Snikers’ campaign.
Globalization: The wit and inspiration appealed to customers from different nations further augmenting the image of the brand.
Lessons from the Campaign
The comparative SnickersGate campaign has elevated the Snickers brand to greater heights through the use of creativity as well as relatable content. Important lessons learned include:
Be Consistent with Brand Values
The prank by Snickers was in line with its brand message of hunger making a person act abnormally hence the campaign was justified.
Use Consumers’ Feedback
As part of the campaign, Snickers bolstered interaction by including customer engagement into their campaign and made it a two-way communication.
Be Creative
The campaign of mispackaging a product and using that to market it shows the effectiveness of simply thinking differently.
