Gingerbread Rescue: Snyder's pretzels reunite gingerbread people with their edible homes
Campaign Trail: Campbell's brand partners with Saatchi & Saatchi for a clever PSA-style ad, reimagining a holiday tradition with puppeteers and a dash of Pinterest inspiration
Explore the archives for past columns and enjoy the latest creative campaigns in Campaign Trail, where we analyze the best new marketing efforts. Many modern Christmas traditions, including Christmas trees, stocking stuffers, nutcrackers, and Krampus, have their roots in Germany. In the 19th century, German bakers were inspired by the Brothers Grimm's fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel" to create gingerbread houses.
There's always been something unsettling about gingerbread people living in houses made of their own bodies, akin to the story's cannibalistic undertones. This concept is the focal point of Snyder's of Hanover's latest campaign. Last month, the Campbell Soup Company pretzel brand launched a campaign encouraging consumers to build pretzel houses instead of gingerbread houses. The campaign also features a microsite and social media activations, and includes a 30-second YouTube spot and social videos in the style of PSAs that humorously address the gingerbread person's housing predicament.
Saatchi & Saatchi developed the holiday campaign with the goal of identifying a seasonal opportunity for pretzels to stand out. The team found inspiration in gingerbread houses, which are now available as pre-made sets and are frequently left untouched, offering not only a platform for product placement but also a chance for creative storytelling.
Dustin Tomes, executive creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi, pointed out that when considering it, houses are essentially made of the same material as gingerbread people. This kind of one-sentence insight is not something that is encountered in every creative idea. The insight may be simple, but it also carries a dark and macabre undertone. Fortunately, the idea was found to be a surprising and thought-provoking concept by all stakeholders involved, from production partners to integrated agency teams to Campbell's. However, effectively connecting with younger audiences who share this type of humor while remaining true to the brand is a challenge faced by many marketers.
Puppeteers, Pinterest and more
Tomes elaborated on the challenge of aligning with audience preferences while maintaining brand standards and tone of voice. "We aim for Snyder's tone to be lively, playful, and unexpected, so we worked to infuse it with fun and a hint of tension, finding the right balance and ensuring it resonates with the Snyder's brand."
The PSA-style ad showcases a perfect balance between solemn drama and playful creativity. The agency carefully used the look and feel of PSAs as a creative device without undermining similar ads that highlight important real-world issues. Additionally, the classic Christmas animation style was updated by featuring a gingerbread man puppeteered by a person in a blue-screen suit, giving it a unique and compelling movement. According to Tomes, using a human puppeteer instead of a CG approach brought a superior quality to the character's movement, surprising many at the agency with its authenticity.
Saatchi and Snyder's created a website with instructions and videos for building pretzel houses, from basic to more complex designs, in response to the PSA spot's call to action. In addition, the team sought to capitalize on current trends and conversations by integrating content on Pinterest inspired by the platform. Tomes emphasized the importance of positioning the content on social platforms, such as Pinterest, so that it blends in with the platform's organic content rather than standing out as obvious advertising.
TikTok content takes an authentic approach, using the platform's language ("I was today years old") and tapping into existing content styles. For example, one video features a gingerbread man sharing "3 things about my Snyder's pretzel cabin that just makes sense" – all variations of "it's not made of me." According to Tomes, social spaces allow for more creative freedom compared to content aimed at a mass audience.
Once something is released into the world, it is no longer within your control. We made sure to be very careful so that our intentions of creating something playful, fun, and entertaining were clear and couldn't be missed. We are very happy with the outcome of our efforts.
