When Stephen Colbert mockingly read every word of Wheat Thins’ brand brief on air as part of the product’s show sponsorship, Kraft Foods‘ marketers were probably wondering what they’d gotten themselves into.
Wheat Thins’ high-minded brand brief says the crackers are not “a creator of isolated, un-sharable experiences,” Colbert announced, to laughter from his audience. They are “a snack for anyone actively seeking experiences” and “a connector of like-minded people.”
But Bonin Bough, vice-president for global media and consumer engagement at Kraft Foods, said Wednesday that the integration achieved exactly what Kraft needed.
“For seven minutes he read the entire brand brief on TV,” Bough said, speaking at Ad Age‘s Social Engagement/Social TV Conference. “Now, some people were a little nervous. He talked about it being a ‘warrior brand.'”
But it all drove an incredible amount of social response and engagement, Bough said. “You could not ask for something better even if you wrote it yourself.”
To read the original story in Advertising Age, click here.
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