Applegate = simple, natural, and no-fuss (with a sense of humor.) One of the simplest and enduring modern holiday traditions has been the WPIX Yule Log: A burning log in a fireplace beamed to millions of screens every Christmas Day, giving viewers the chance to enjoy the visual warmth and crackling of an open fire. Mint Advertising married the Yule Log concept with simple, natural, sizzling Applegate Sunday Bacon (as part of an overall “Season’s Meatings" social media campaign) to create tasty yuletide ambiance for iPads, laptops, smartphones, flat screens, and any other viewer with access to YouTube. The bacon was cooked in a working, wood-burning fireplace within a historic farmhouse (a nod to Applegate’s network of organic and natural farmers) on a real snow day. Everything about it is authentic, down to the flipping of the meat. No separate soundtrack was needed, because the natural crackling and popping was enough to make the clip completely mouth-watering. To make sure everyone got a virtual taste, the video and corresponding GIF were shared across social media channels, e-mail, on Applegate’s website, and were picked up by multiple press outlets including BuzzFeed (http://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelysanders/a-virtual-fireplace-made-out-of-bacon) and Grub Street (http://newyork.grubstreet.com/2012/12/watch-bacon-yule-log.html). Thanks to Applegate’s nearly 300,000 Facebook fans as well as thousands of bacon aficionados around the internet, the video had viral reach across networks and received more than 40k views over its holiday weekend launch. Fans were begging for smell-o-vision and a few set the YouTube video up on sites like Infinite Looper to keep the crackle going all day. One Redditor described the video as “30 minutes of bacon frying in scent-inducing drool-making 1080p." The brand was able to reach and entertain their core audience over the holiday break with tasty content worth sharing, while also attracting the eyes of new customers, and they’ve established an annual tradition that could reappear for years to come.
http://youtu.be/4Qqnk5jy2bA http://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelysanders/a-virtual-fireplace-made-out-of-bacon
