One bite into a Tastykake could find the muncher hanging out with Donovan McNabb, the quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. That is, if green-colored filling is in the game plan.
As part of a major football promotion taking place in four markets — Philadelphia, New York and Northern New Jersey, Baltimore and Washington, DC — Tastykake is in stores with an instant-win game tied to 9 million specially marked family packs of Krimpets, Kandy Kakes and Cupcakes. Shoppers who bite into one of the treats to find green, purple, blue or red filling could win a chance to meet a popular football player from a hometown team.
Green filling nabs a chat with McNabb, blue teams with New York Giants cornerback Will Allen, purple wins time with Baltimore Ravens‘ running back Jamal Lewis and red filling lands face time with Washington Redskins’ linebacker Jeremiah Trotter.
An on-pack self-liquidating offer features a chance for consumers to redeem six UPCs for limited-edition Tastykake bobblehead dolls of the four football players.
The back-to-school push got underway to get moms to buy family packs and stick one of six single servings into kids’ lunch boxes. Marketers are also trying to attract teens and younger kids who may want to grab a box full of cupcakes and enjoy a Sunday afternoon football game with friends. The program launched Sept. 15 and runs through the end of November.
Winners that find a colored filling then call an 800 number inside the box to win. “They don’t have to keep the icing, they just have to call the 800 number,” says Michael Dill, managing partner, Circle One Marketing, Norwalk, CT, named agency of record in August for promotion and customer marketing for Philadelphia-based Tasty Baking Co.
National radio spots featuring voiceovers of the players support for seven weeks in each of four different markets. A co-op radio program at retail was leveraged in exchange for merchandising support. Out-of-home bus backs and billboards complement in-store P-O-P materials, standees of players holding the product, window posters, shelf talkers, display wraps and billboards.
An earlier baseball promotion hit stores in July to support a 20% increase in fruit filling in the product and was touted in-pack on three to four million apple, cherry, blueberry and peach pies. Prizes included 20 tickets to area baseball games, 20 free pies or $20.
Tastykake is a sponsor of both the Philadelphia Phillies and the Baltimore Orioles. In-store P-O-P materials featured the teams’ logos. A Web site and mobile marketing tours supported.
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