The Unlikely Ritual Sacrifice

It was a huge weekend for disco balls, gyms, planners and… Pop-Tarts?

Yep.

The nostalgic breakfast pastry is having it’s moment for the first time since 2001 when I ate one every single morning before school.

What started as a college football bowl game sponsorship, something that is very common, not at all unique or noteworthy…

Became a viral sensation and instant fan favorite. A lofty task during a time there are lots of football games being played and several with higher stakes than the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

It wasn’t a particularly close or well-played football game that has everyone talking. Matter of fact, I’d be wiling to bet that a majority of the people talking about it on social media this weekend (and there were a lot of them…) didn’t even know which teams were facing off in the game.

All eyes were on the 6-foot-tall Pop-Tart mascot.

The pop-tart was seen dancing, playing air guitar and slapping the bum of a referee, all before being lowered into a massive replica toaster at half time.

Please tell me someone else watched this? I can’t be the only one?

It’s not even that weird yet, wait till you hear this…

From the replica toaster emerged an actual, giant-sized Pop-Tart that Kansas State players and coaches began to eat after winning the game.

Disturbed? Impressed? Both?

At first I was thinking, “man, the lengths these companies will go for a buck!”

Except then I saw it was actually $10 MILLION BUCKS. And now I get it.

The Pop-Tarts Bowl generated $12.1 million in media exposure after a measly $2 million initial spending on the sponsorship.

Who knew that toasting and consuming your mascot on live TV could help drive sales and 6X your advertising investment?

The Pop-Tarts marketing department. They knew.

College football bowl games are often sponsored by big brands as a way of simply keeping their products top of mind: Tostitos, Duke’s Mayo, Chick-Fil-A, VRBO just to name a few.

What Pop-Tarts did went beyond having their names on a few billboards and t-shirts.

They created something so unhinged that people would have to talk about it.

Creative activation: new or original ideas that are put into action.

You don’t have to be a billion dollar business or marketing master to try your hand at tapping into that. 👀

It’s my prediction that the bar has been raised. A new standard has been set and brands with brains will start entertaining consumers. They’ll start getting our attention in new and different and potentially shocking ways.

One of the most powerful things you can do is make people talk.

People talk. People read. People buy.

I might also pick up a box of the best flavor pop-tart this week just to support the absolutely insane cause.

Which one am I getting and why is it strawberry frosted?

Xo, The Salesgirls