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Pogo - SMG Instills Weiner Pride

Pogo: SMG Instills Weiner Pride

 
Teen boys don't shop the freezer aisles of their local grocery store much (well, never, actually).  So, if you have a corn dog brand that hasn't been advertised much since 2001 (back when they were still watching ReBoot and Dragon Ball), you need to do something radical to get them to bug mom to add it to her shopping list.  So that's what Pogo did, with the help of Starcom MediaVest Group, Leo Burnett Toronto and media partner Astral.

Pogo had been a staple in Quebec since 1962, but needed to get back in the spotlight, and to make the iconic snack-on-a-stick socially acceptable among teenage boys - plus increase sales, natch.

Teen boys like humour, the dopier the better, and they also like competing with their buddies over almost anything, the sillier the better.  So the big idea was to take advantage of the unusually-shaped snack in a retro-inspired contest.  "Be proud of your wiener" challenged the lads to demonstrate their Pogo pride in "Pogothons" last summer, by holding their Pogo up in the air as long as they could.

In the first, unbranded phase, Starcom created buzz by seeding the Pogo icon on street signs, T-shirts and chalk art in high-traffic spots.  Seven- and eight-second Pogo images were flashed on TV channels MusiquePlus and Vrak, while random MusiquePlus camera pans caught teens holding their Pogos aloft.

Phase two incorporated branding to build up to the "Mega-Pogothon."  Sticker poster pads were dropped in skate parks and basketball courts, which boys then transferred to their skateboards, lockers and other choice spots.  A Mini-Pogothon at MusiquePlus was supported by brand videos, VJ mentions and promo spots.  All elements drove to the website, where teens could sign up for the contest or play the online game.  Live-to-tape clips aired during the Mega-Pogothon and highlights were broadcast post-event.

The Pogothon and online game did the job, bringing the Pogo biz back on track. The effort also won gold at The Internationalist Awards for Media Innovation, was shortlisted at the Valencia Festival of Media and took Gold in SMG's worldwide awards.

 

 

 

      
Originally Posted: 6/12/2009 10:45:40 AM
Last Updated: 6/12/2009 10:47:21 AM