On June 20, 2012, Kingsford® Charcoal embarked on a daunting barbecue challenge. The brand set out to gather around the grill on the longest day of the year, the Summer Solstice, and capture every meaty minute for the brand’s social media channels. The devoted group of BBQ enthusiasts fired up their grills at 5:47 a.m. PDT and kept them smoking all day, uploading a photo for each minute of sunshine, until the last grilled dessert came off the coals at 8:34 p.m. PDT. From bacon to burgers and grilled lemonade, the brand’s online community followed the live stream of images throughout the day, whether they were sitting at the office or outside enjoying the day. Fans could also submit food items for grillers to fire up, or their own grilling photos to the feed using #SummerSolstice for the chance to win one of 10 Kingsford Summer Grilling Prize Pack – 2,000 people entered the sweepstakes in two days! The barbecue lifestyle is about savoring the smells and flavors of slow cooked food while enjoying good times, good people and good drinks. With a long day of grilling and nearly a thousand pictures, Kingsford charcoal was able to digitally capture the grilling traditions that the brand and loyal fans celebrate. Additionally, no other brand had attempted to Instagram a photo for every minute of an entire day – Kingsford made history with a new Instagram record. Grilling enthusiasts were also given the chance to gather around the virtual grill by sharing what foods they wanted to see grilled on Facebook. Not surprising given the innovative nature of the fan base, the evil grilling geniuses submitted everything from bacon wrapped sushi to grilled pineapple with melted marshmallows. The grillmasters happily obliged and managed to cook and photograph even the most obscure requests. By accepting the challenge, Kingsford demonstrated its real life connection to its devoted online community. The Kingsford Summer Solstice Grilling Challenge did more than boost its Facebook followers and drive media coverage. It gave fans a glimpse of the people behind the Kingsford brand, whose passion for grilling has created the number one charcoal in the country. Setting barbecue history with a digital photo essay of an epic day of barbecue, the project brought grilling bloggers, food media, consumers and the brand team together through social media, translating the thrill of the grill to the digital world. The event simultaneously encouraged people to get out and grill during the barbecue “off season" and showcased the Kingsford community’s enthusiasm for talking about and sharing all things grilled. Results: 223,784 impressions, including: • KUCI-TV; Oakland CBS (14,058 impressions) • Grilling24x7.com (3,868 impressions) • PatioDaddioBBQ.com (9,091 impressions) • TheBBQGrail.com (3,388 impressions) • GrillingWithRich.com (3,108 impressions): • MyMemphisMommy.com (3,497 impressions) • JaysManCaveMag.com (1,682 impressions) • 900+ images posted to instagram • 10,000 new Facebook Fans in two days
