Objectives

Social distancing is tough. Being lonely and isolated from friends and family — while important — just sucks. Even as stay-at-home orders are being lifted in parts of the country, it’s becoming harder and harder for people to stay safely inside. And seeing the same somber, black-and-white, light piano music ads that every brand was doing over and over doesn’t help. We wanted MoonPie to be an answer to both — to offer a fun way for consumers and its fans to fight boredom and stay inside.

Strategy and Execution

We brought MoonPie's legendary voice to life with an innovative use of technology. Enter MoonPie MoonMate: an Amazon Alexa skill, a hilarious “virtual roommate” that keeps you company, makes you laugh, and extends MoonPie’s iconic brand voice into real life via Alexa-enabled devices. And yes, while it's designed to keep you company with hilarious conversations and make it a little easier to pass the time at home, it can even pay your rent (just ask).

Results

MoonMate gave people a reason to smile. In just the first week, we saw more than 10,000 Alexa skill activations:

• 3 hours of dialogue
• 2,500 lines of copy
• 150,000 questions asked
   

And it gave MoonPie a big boost:

• 200 million earned media impressions
• Guest spot on Live with Kelly & Ryan
• “Hilarious! Might make you want to quarantine forever" – USA Today
• “You’re ‘outta this world roommate’” – Forbes
• “Not only filled our stomachs but put smiles on our faces” – Mashable
• “A ‘virtual roommate’ with attitude” – Ad Age
• “Make you laugh and pay you rent!” – NBC
• “A refreshing response to the pandemic” – Trend Watching
• “Iconic.” – AIthority
• “A new frontier for how brands will behave online” – Little Black Book
• “Never be lonely in quarantine” – Adweek

And, finally — and perhpas most importantly — MoonPie saw a 21% surge in product sales in 2020.

Media