Lifting the Lid on STōK Cold Brew Coffee’s & Hershey’s Winning Advertising Strategies
Disruptive, humorous, and culturally relevant—these are the secrets behind the big advertising and creative winners at The Drum Marketing Awards Americas. Both STōK Cold Brew Coffee and Hershey’s Reese’s Caramel Big Cup showcased innovative strategies that resonated with today’s audiences. Let’s dive into how they achieved this success.
The Power of Humor in Advertising
STōK Cold Brew Coffee: Breaking Norms with a Twist
STōK Cold Brew Coffee’s partnership with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s Wrexham FC was a bold and unexpected move. It’s a US-based brand entering the UK market where cold brew isn’t mainstream. Harvest Creative tapped into this odd connection with a series of humorous ads, making the collaboration a talking point.
- Humorous Campaigns: The ads featured the Wrexham team’s tea being replaced with cold brew, leading to public mockery and creating a buzz.
- Disruptive Approach: The light-hearted, risky strategy paid off, generating over 14 billion impressions, $5 million in incremental sales, and doubling household penetration in a declining category.
The result? Gold awards in both Advertising and Creative categories at The Drum Marketing Awards.
“Tapping into cultural moments and balancing humor is incredibly hard to pull off well,” noted a judge from The Drum Marketing Awards Americas.
Hershey’s Reese’s Caramel Big Cup: A Bold Twist on a Classic
Hershey’s took a daring approach with their Reese’s Caramel Big Cups by announcing the addition of caramel to their top-selling product during the Super Bowl. The campaign, crafted by Erich and Kallman, veered away from traditional candy ads.
- Super Bowl Ad: The chaotic, energetic ad depicted exaggerated reactions to the product change, compelling viewers to rewatch and catch missed scenes.
- Cultural Relevance: By leveraging the massive Super Bowl platform, Hershey’s ensured maximum exposure and engagement.
Kantar’s LINK AI assessed the ad’s success, confirming its strong potential in driving consideration, purchase intent, and awareness.
Understanding and Engaging Audiences
STōK Cold Brew Coffee: Riding the Wrexham Wave
STōK Cold Brew Coffee’s campaign succeeded by understanding and tapping into the cultural moment of Wrexham’s rags-to-riches story. This approach resonated with fans and created a natural, engaging connection.
- Cultural Connection: By humorously aligning with Wrexham’s popular narrative, STōK delighted fans and boosted brand affinity.
- Integrated Storytelling: The campaign flooded digital and social channels with storytelling content at peak buzz moments, driving social activations and organic growth.
Reese’s Caramel Big Cup: Harnessing Fan Love
Reese’s capitalised on their fans’ intense love by introducing a bold change during the most-watched event in the US. This strategy not only grabbed attention but also encouraged social media buzz and engagement.
- Fan Engagement: The ad’s concept of change struck a chord with fans, making it memorable and shareable.
- AI Insights: Kantar’s LINK AI used extensive data to predict the ad’s effectiveness, ensuring it stood out in a competitive market.
Key Takeaways for Effective Advertising
Leveraging Humor and Disruption
Both STōK Cold Brew Coffee and Reese’s showcased how humor and disruption can effectively capture attention and drive business impact. Their campaigns proved that being bold and different can pay off significantly.
- Risk-Taking: Don’t be afraid to take risks and break norms.
- Humor: Use humor to make your brand memorable and engaging.
Understanding Cultural Moments
Understanding and leveraging cultural moments is crucial for creating relevant and resonant campaigns. Both brands demonstrated a deep understanding of their audiences and the cultural contexts they inhabit.
- Cultural Relevance: Align your brand with relevant cultural moments.
- Audience Insight: Know your audience’s preferences and values.
Data-Driven Decisions
Utilising data and AI tools like Kantar’s LINK AI can provide valuable insights into the potential success of an ad, ensuring your efforts are targeted and effective.
- AI and Data: Use data-driven insights to shape your strategies.
- Effectiveness: Measure and predict ad performance to maximise impact.
Conclusion
The success of STōK Cold Brew Coffee and Hershey’s Reese’s Caramel Big Cup at The Drum Marketing Awards Americas highlights the power of humor, cultural relevance, and data-driven strategies in modern advertising. By understanding their audiences and daring to be different, these brands created campaigns that not only stood out but also delivered significant business results.
For marketers, the key lessons are clear: embrace humor, tap into cultural moments, and leverage data to create impactful and memorable campaigns.
Photo credit: prnewswire
