The objectives were simple:
-Reach & engage Fanyuns (translation: Funyuns Fans) through highly-targeted, highly-entertaining communication
-Accelerate brand growth & increase sales
-Spark authentic conversations around onion flavored rings
A subculture icon in the hearts (and appetites) of onion flavor seekers everywhere, FUNYUNS has long been the unofficial snack of the nonconformist. Because of the brand's unique corner on the "weird" market, its first major social media push ever needed to reflect that weirdness as well as resonate with the next generation of onion flavor aficionados, who are able to sniff out and eschew mainstream marketing before you can say 'FUNYUNS breath.'
With its artistic roots and vast creative canvas, Tumblr was the perfect home for FUNYUNS nonconformists. We created not only a fever-dream-inspired fantastical origins story for the brand, but also a UGC meme blogroll and faux reviews from inanimate objects and fictional creatures. The result was a Tumblr site that was totally sharable, totally original, totally random—and totally loved by our fans.
Why This Entry Deserves to Win
When your story originates in a mythical place called The Ringdom—where unicorns roam, werewolves proclaim their love for zesty onion flavoring and FUNYUNS fall from a colorful cloud of flavor—you know you've got a pretty left-of-center following.
To this irreverently beautiful, 100% custom-made backdrop, we added a blog where our fans can harness their passion for creativity and artistic expression with an imaginative meme creator tool. We generated the quirky visuals, asked users to submit an appropriate caption, then posted the weird results to our wall and encouraged sharing. Together, we created over 500 pieces of original content over just 4 months.
In another nod to nonconformity, we also created an eccentric spoof on traditional "product reviews" called What Things Are Saying, which was, quite literally, inanimate objects and fabled pop culture creatures like werewolves helpfully giving their endorsement for FUNYUNS.
By tapping into the imagination of long-time fans, FUNYUNS kept true to its iconoclastic roots while earning its stripes as a socially savvy brand and thus earning a whole new millennial fanbase.
33% of all engagement was earned media
14% lift in brand favorability vs. control
49% lift in purchase intent vs. control
Brand sales growth accelerated to double digits in Q4 2015 vs. prior year
