In the span of a year, Honey Bunches of Oats went from targeting all-family breakfast occasions to becoming an advocate for millennials’ morning me time. To do that, we needed to find new relevance in that occasion and new relevance for that audience. We set out to prove how when you take a moment to yourself, you can make a bunch happen in your world – in your own unique way. In short, Honey Bunches of Oats ensures you begin your day with a bunch (literally), before bringing that abundance to your day.
The main objective of this activation was to build on the spirit of our campaign spot and effectively reach our new target, millennials, by meeting them where they already spend their me-time moment (scrolling social) and seek a bunch of inspiration, humor and positivity: TikTok.
Our goals included:
Bringing Honey Bunches of Oats onto TikTok for the first time
Driving engagement with millennials in an authentic way
Increasing awareness of the overarching #MakeABunchHappen brand message
Building brand affinity and interaction via participation in a hashtag challenge
Millennials are masters of self-expression and are quick to sniff out what’s authentic vs. contrived.
So, in order to make a positive first impression on a platform where Honey Bunches of Oats has no presence, we decided to put the spotlight on the TikTok community, not on ourselves.
We partnered with five TikTok creators and shared their stories of how they Make A Bunch Happen in their own unique way: a goofy farmer who uses his channel for education, a stairwell siren who shares her talent with the world, a relatable mom who seeks to bring humor into the everyday, a self-care-focused college student who inspires others to take care of themselves, and a fashionista standing up for representation in the industry.
But we didn't stop there. We invited TikTokers everywhere to show how they Make A Bunch Happen in their lives by creating the #MakeABunchHappen hashtag challenge, complete with a fun and addictively playful branded effect that virtually allowed them to scoop a bunch of Honey Bunches of Oats into their mouths before showing how they Make A Bunch Happen.
#MakeABunchHappen became an overnight sensation, garnering 9.4B TikTok views with +84MM unique reaches and 1.7MM videos created. We effectively inspired users to showcase their best, most unique selves on the app and solidified Honey Bunches of Oats as the catalyst to making a bunch happen all day long.
