Oscar Mayer “Wake Up & Smell The Bacon”
Great example of an unexpected product designed by a brand for highly engaged fans, that rippled out to a much wider audience of customers via the content generated.
“Wake Up and Smell the Bacon” is the world's only (still!) iPhone alarm clock app and device that wakes you to the scent and sizzle of Oscar Mayer’s delicious cooked bacon.
The Case Study:
The Device:
It took over nine months of R&D and product testing — from designing the audio-jack powered oil atomizing device to dialing in the right combination of smoke and maple syrup scents to smell the bacon, to getting the devices through customs in time to deliver to hungry fans.
The FIlm:
The campaign film parodies the over-the-top tone of contemporary fragrance TV commercials, brought to life courageously by production company Dirty Robber and dirs Schillick.
The Website:
Designed for fans to apply for a chance to win one of these limited-edition bacon devices, we created a site with an application process open in timed windows each day, to create some frenzy.
And to jumpstart things, we sent a handful to top fans in advance, to help spread buzz and prompt a few unboxing videos so people knew these were real. Demand was sudden and massive.
More than 300,000 people applied to win one of the 5000 devices we made, and 65,000+ people downloaded the Oscar Mayer bacon alarm app. Media outlets jumped at the chance to demo to the devices on TV and in the papers, getting tons of free, earned press.
“Wake Up & Smell the Bacon” garnered 450 million+ earned media impressions and making Oscar Mayer the most talked-about bacon brand in America.
PRESS: CNN, CBS, MSNBC, Time, USA Today, Good Morning America, The Guardian, Huffington Post, Business Insider, Mashable, Yahoo!, The Los Angeles Times, NPR, VH1, The Daily Mail, Bloomberg, Fox, AOL, The Associated Press, Eater, Creativity Pick of The Day & Top 20, Contagious, Adweek Pick of the Day
AWARDS: Cannes Lions Silver (Mobile), Cannes Lions Bronze (PR), OneShow Silver (Mobile), ADC Awards Silver (Mobile), Shorty Awards Winner (Most Creative Use of Technology), Webby Awards People's Choice, IAB MIXX Awards Gold (Branded Mobile App), Mobi Awards Winner
Created by an incredible team of star creatives, strategists + producers.
Creative Directors: Aaron Mosher + David Yankelevitz
Strategist: Amy Dowker
Copywriter: Josh Chua
Art Director: Ricky Anolik
Producers: Halley Hopkins, Alanda Fellows
User Experience: Jesse Shaver
EP: Marc Calamia
Agency: 360i
Spot director: Schillick
Prod Partner: Dirty Robber
Special shoutout to Food Stylist Lynne Calamia