Frozen pizza doesn’t have a bad reputation—it has bad PR. For decades, Canadians relegated frozen pizza to the status of a "last resort," overshadowed by the indulgence and social cachet of takeout pizza. Dr. Oetker, Canada’s most trusted frozen pizza brand with a 55% market share, set out to change that perception—and in doing so, solidify the masterbrand’s relevance with a new generation of pizza lovers.
- Objective: Dr. Oetker is on a mission to rehabilitate frozen pizza’s image and rally Canadians to help us bring justice to frozen pizza.
- Business Objective: Position Dr. Oetker as synonymous with pizza in Canada by increasing brand awareness and strengthening recognition of the masterbrand alongside its sub-brands.
- Marketing Objective: Spark conversation and get users engaging with and talking about Dr. Oetker positively on social media.
- Activity Objective: Collect first-party consumer data
Frozen Pizza needs a new publicist. By blending humor, social activation, and strategic media execution, we engaged Canadians to champion frozen pizza and reclaim its reputation and redefined the narrative.
- Influencer Partnerships: We tapped macro influencer @hey.itsbel to kickstart the conversation, and micro influencers to amplify the campaign message with relatable, authentic storytelling.
- Creative Execution: A playful narrative featuring a hungry intern who rallied Canadians to join the campaign added humor and relatability, bringing the campaign’s core message to life.
- Social Media Activation: We encouraged Canadians to apply for the role of Frozen Pizza’s Publicist via contest, sparking widespread UGC that celebrated frozen pizza as a beloved choice.
- Community Engagement: Dr. Oetker actively engaged in conversations, replying to comments, resharing submissions, and keeping the momentum alive.
- Website: we developed a custom microsite to host the contest and collect first-party data.
- PR Boxes: As a part of the PR efforts, we created 20 mailers to send to foodie & lifestyle creators to garner excitement on the secondary first-party data focused contest.
- 4 Phase Media Plan: Our campaign followed a structured approach to build momentum and engagement: Drive Awareness > Spark Interest > Drive Participation > Final Push & Data Capture
Paid: To maximize reach, engagement, and conversion, the campaign leveraged a mix of high-impact paid placements across key social platforms.
- Influencers & Spark Ads – Amplified storytelling and extended reach through trusted voices.
- Short-Form Video – Engaging content on Stories, Reels, and TikTok.
- Static Creative - Contextually relevant content on LinkedIn.
Earned: To enhance credibility, awareness, and organic engagement, the campaign leveraged high-impact earned media channels:
- Media Coverage – Headlines in news and marketing publications to drive authority and reach.
- UGC & Social Buzz – Organic consumer participation, amplifying brand advocacy and engagement.
Owned: To drive brand consistency, engagement, and community participation, the campaign leveraged owned digital channels:
- Social Content – Static and video assets across Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
- Interactive Formats – Reels, Stories, and TikTok features like Stitch and Duet to encourage participation.
- Branded Hashtag – Created an ownable hashtag to fuel UGC and community engagement.
We chose Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn not just for their reach, but for how we used them to break through convention, aligning with our creative and disruptive approach to social media.
Primary
- Instagram became the campaign’s community hub, designed for seamless participation with easy submission templates and proactive community management. By removing barriers and fostering direct engagement, we transformed passive interaction into active participation and long-term audience loyalty.
- TikTok wasn’t just a distribution channel—it was a cultural amplifier. By embracing lo-fi storytelling and influencer-driven content, we tapped into the platform’s viral mechanics, sparking organic conversations that extended well beyond our immediate audience and embedded the campaign within the platform’s creative culture.
Secondary
- LinkedIn flipped expectations by hacking platform norms, using a playful, satirical job application to engage PR professionals in a way that felt unexpected yet highly relevant. This approach drove organic discussion, media interest, and industry buzz, reinforcing the campaign’s disruptive nature.
The Frozen Pizza’s Publicist campaign transformed frozen pizza from a fallback option to a celebrated meal choice. Dr. Oetker saw significant growth in a declining category, and exceeded growth goals in brand awareness, consideration, and consumer data acquisition.
- Despite a 10% year-over-year decline in media budget, the campaign delivered 20% more media impressions, totaling 23.5 million. This surge in visibility translated into 1.3 million site visits (+44K% YoY) and an impressive 60.9 million earned media reach (+18% YoY)
- Over 3.8M engagements, reflecting Canadians’ active participation and cultural resonance.
- In a declining category (-11%), Dr. Oetker achieved an exceptional 4% sales growth—a significant achievement in the food sector, where simply maintaining market share amid price escalation is often considered a win.
- The campaign significantly exceeded industry benchmarks, demonstrating the campaign’s strong creative resonance and audience alignment and resulted in 11,800 form-filled entries (+807% YoY), allowing Dr. Oetker to engage consumers with any future communications.
This campaign exceeded all KPI’s and expectations. It succeeded because of its bold, insight-driven strategy and integrated execution. By recognizing frozen pizza’s misunderstood role, we reframed its narrative and tapped into Canadians’ emotions. Influencer collaborations, UGC, and social engagement created a groundswell of cultural relevance, while the creative’s humor and relatability sparked organic conversations.
Importantly, no external factors—such as pricing or competitor weakness—contributed significantly to these results. This was a marketing-led transformation, proving that strategic storytelling and consumer connection can drive both perception and sales in a challenging category.
Video for In Search of Canada’s first #FrozenPizzaPublicist
