Winners: Taylor Strategy - Taco Bell Shakes up the Breakfast Routine and Weber Shandwick - Smoke is the Bandit with Mobil 1
Taylor Strategy - Taco Bell Shakes up the Breakfast Routine
March 2014 marked a pivotal moment in Taco Bell history, as its breakfast menu became available nationally for the first time ever. The first new day-part since Taco Bell’s iconic Fourthmeal was expected to play a critical role in the company’s growth strategy to $14 billion in sales. The media buzz and consumer call to action around the breakfast launch had to drive the awareness needed for a profitable daypart, especially given the highly competitive breakfast landscape and industry leader.
With all this in mind, Taylor Strategy delivered. Its communications strategy included creating a “rolling thunder” of strategically sequenced Taco Bell breakfast stories leading up to the national launch to dominate conversation and the competition while reinforcing multiple brand messages. To that end, Taco Bell’s “Ronald McDonald” spots used humor to take on the category leader, with Taco Bell PR and Taylor leading communication efforts.
With media begging to try Taco Bell breakfast since the Waffle Taco market test, an NYC sampling event offered national outlets a first taste – complete with a GIF Booth where they created and shared exclusive imagery of the Waffle Taco or AM Crunchwrap across channels. Media live tweeted their experience, resulting in 140MM+ impressions.
Ultimately, the multi-faceted campaign—which unfolded online and on TV—garnered 6 billion total impressions, which is more media impressions than any Taco Bell campaign ever – including the phenomenal Doritos Locos Tacos. Media impressions from breakfast launch day alone surpassed 1.4 billion.
Weber Shandwick - Smoke is the Bandit with Mobil 1
As the official motor oil of NASCAR for the past 12 NASCAR seasons, Mobil 1 has, in that time, worked hard to raise NASCAR fan awareness of the official designation and challenged Weber Shandwick to elevate those official motor oil credentials. Thus, the goal with this effort was to create a program that would position Mobil 1 as a brand that understands the NASCAR fan and a fan’s interest beyond the track, further insert Mobil 1 into increasingly important motorsports digital/social media space and generate news that communicates directly with target consumers.
Mustaches, a black Trans Am and Burt Reynolds as “The Bandit.” This iconic combination made the 1977 release of feature film “Smokey and the Bandit” a pop culture hit. To this day, gearheads across the country can recite lines from the car-and-chase classic.
Channeling this car enthusiast passion, Weber Shandwick flexed its creative horsepower and went “east bound and down” by producing a new spin on the flick with the “Smoke is the Bandit with Mobil 1 (SITB)” web series.
Starring Mobil 1 NASCAR driver Tony Stewart (nicknamed “Smoke”) and supported by an A-list cast of NASCAR personalities and media, the series takes viewers on a wild, six-episode ride inspired by the original movie in a way that only Mobil 1 – the Official Motor Oil of NASCAR – could drive. Importantly, incorporating these NASCAR media celebrities puts Mobil 1’s Official Motor Oil status front and center, while facilitating earned media coverage.
The series as a whole garnered over 900,000 views on YouTube. While Facebook considers a 2% engagement rate best in class, SITB average a 20% engagement rate across the length of the series.
Honorable Mentions:
• Coty Inc. -The Daisy Marc Jacobs Tweetshop
• Cramer-Krasselt - BISSELL One Step Closer
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• MWW - Stronger than the Storm: Social and digital help in shifting perception on NJ after Superstorm Sandy
• rbb Public Relations - Scholarship Advisor App: From Unknown to Top 5
• Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa - SHRTampa Celebrates A Rockin' 10 Years
• Waggener Edstrom Communications - Life in the Digital Crosshairs: Microsoft's Cybersecurity Story
• Weber Shandwick with Pedigree Brand - The PEDIGREE Feeding Project