In 1953, Ore-Ida shook up the potato category by inventing the iconic snack, Tater Tots. But by 2025, the brand had become culturally archaic and disconnected from younger audiences. So, when an unexpected moment presented itself, our objective was clear: move fast and turn a fleeting reveal into meaningful, modern relevance for the brand.
Just days before March Madness, BYU basketball star Richie Saunders revealed that his great-grandfather founded Ore-Ida and invented Tater Tots. What could have been a passing fun fact became our opening. To intercept this key cultural moment and win back points amongst disenfranchised audiences, our strategy was simple, but potent: 1) Swiftly partner with Richie as a way to open the door for us to authentically enter the conversation, 2) Highlight and celebrate Richie’s Ore-Ida heritage to naturally position the brand in the context of March Madness, 3) Fan the flames of fandom for Richie’s BYU Team so fans can partake in the action.
Within 48 hours, we signed Richie to an NIL deal and dubbed him “Heir Richie” - a play on “Air Jordan.” With Richie as the face of Ore-Ida, we fueled fandom by transforming the 30-second shot clock into a 30-minute “Tot Clock,” rewarding fans with free Tater Tots after every BYU win. We sustained momentum with real-time social content throughout the tournament, dropping sports-style Heir Richie memorabilia, custom Tater Tot bags, baking sheets, and fan-ready signage - ensuring Ore-Ida wasn’t just mentioned, but actively part of the conversation.
The unexpected partnership dominated March Madness media coverage, getting featured on every major sports TV broadcast and earning over three billion earned impressions. We used every unpredictable moment of the tournament to create instant topical content and conversation around the partnership that saw a 21,700% higher engagement rate than X’s average, leading to a 10,000% spike in brand mentions on social media. Ore-Ida Tater Tots sold out across Utah, and without a March Madness sponsorship, we drove more engagement than all the official sponsors combined - at just 0.04% of their spend. In the end, Richie’s influence and popularity helped us regain relevance with the new generation, cementing Ore-Ida as an indispensable part of BYU fandom, all in just a 2-week span.
