Marshmallow Peeps Celebration Tour

Marketer: Just Born Inc.Campaign: Marshmallow Peeps Celebration Tour 2003Agency: Marketing WerksAward Category: National Consumer Promotion (Budget between $1 Million and $5 Million)Product Category: ConfectioneryJust Born Inc., a family-owned Pennsylvania confectioner, introduced Marshmallow Peeps in 1953. Marshmallow Peeps are a line of sugarcoated marshmallow candies that come in an array of shapes and sizes and are available for purchase during five seasons/Holidays: Easter, Summer, Halloween, Christmas and Valentine's Day.Marketing Overview Marshmallow Peeps has been the No. 1 non-chocolate candy brand during the Easter season for the last decade, but has had low distribution in all other periods. In order to impact the target market (Moms 25 to 49 with children under 12), Just Born had to find a unique, hands-on experience in which to communicate with this audience.ObjectivesMarshmallow Peeps celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2003. To celebrate the golden anniversary, Just Born decided to bring the excitement and festivities to fans across the country on the Marshmallow Peeps Fun Bus. Program objectives were to: obtain 87 million media impressions, increase Peeps usage in non-traditional ways (through craft ideas & recipes); increase brand awareness by 5%; increase sales of Peeps products; and increase traffic to www.marshmallowpeeps.com.Strategy & Tactics Just Born developed a national mobile marketing program and a p.r campaign that visited 72 different cities in 2003. The campaign consisted of two custom-built, 37-foot school buses. Each bus was outfitted with a complete graphics package that illustrated a "Peeps. Always in Season" theme and included an oversized yellow Peep nesting on the roof for both highway travel and event-day signage opportunities. Visitors to the Peeps Fun Bus participated in activities both inside and outside the bus. Inside, visitors were swept into "Peepsville," where they were given the opportunity to take a photo in the Peepsville Photo Cove, view seasonal crafts created with Peeps in the Creative Creations area, participate in games and contests involving seasonal Peeps products, view interactive dioramas featuring Peeps, view seasonal advertisements, sample product, spin the Wheel-O-Peeps for prizes, and learn about the 50 years of brand history. After the tour of Peepsville, visitors were invited to the Peeps "Creation Station," where they could create art and craft masterpieces using Marshmallow Peeps at tables set up outside the bus. In addition, visitors were encouraged to participate in various contests to win prizes. The Marshmallow Peeps Fun Buses made appearances on media affiliates in each market they visited. These appearances helped create a buzz about the tour, drive traffic to retailers to increase Peeps sales, and increase awareness of the 50th anniversary and the "Peeps. Always in Season" tagline. The lengthy list of retailers hosting the tour outside stores included Wal-Mart, Cub Foods, Family Dollar, Hy-Vee, Walgreens, Albertsons, Kmart, Kroger (and its Food 4 Less division) H-E-B, Rite Aid, Food Lion and ShopRite.An in-school overlay was another important aspect of the tour. This first-of-its-kind program provided elementary schools with the curriculum and Peeps product to create the various craft projects. A follow-up visit by the Peeps Fun Bus was encouraged to help bring the activities to life. This program reached more 750,000 students in grades K-5 across the country. Results The Marshmallow Peeps Celebration tour gained more than 210 million media impressions, 142% over the objective. Through these media impressions and market visits, use of Peeps in non-traditional ways increased 3% over past years; brand awareness increased 10% among the target audience; non-Easter seasonal sales (Valentine's Day, Summer, Halloween and Christmas) rose 13% during the year; and traffic to marshmallowpeeps.com traffic increased 165%.Summary The Marshmallow Peeps Celebration Tour directly touched more than 171,000 consumers during the course of its 72-week run. The tour surpassed Just Born's expectations by delivering 5.9 million driving impressions, distributing 1.2 million samples, producing 37,000 Peeps crafts and handing out 112,000 premiums. The tour visited approximately 574 locations, which helped increase consumer knowledge about Marshmallow Peeps and, in turn, increased sales for the brand.

Marshmallow Peeps Celebration Tour

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