Don’t stick with ‘boring’ concepts.
When Nickelodeon’s “The Tiny Chef Show,” was unexpectedly canceled earlier this summer, its creators made a farewell video that went viral and sparked a crowdfunding movement aimed at saving the beloved host.
“Tiny Chef” is an educational program that features vegan cook Cheffy making his favorite meals from his tree stump home. In a video announcing the news that his show was canceled, Cheffy tries to plead his case with the messenger: “but we won an Emmy!” before quietly crying.
It was as heartbreaking as it sounds.
After seeing the clip, AG1, the greens supplement company, decided to jump on the viral moment. The company reached out to the show’s creators, eager to get involved and support the show’s continuation.
“When we saw that the poor little fella had lost his job, we thought we had to get in on the creator game and give him some brand support as a way for him to get back on his feet,” said Paulie Dery, AG1’s chief marketing officer.
The result was a mini episode featuring Cheffy getting back into the grind, ready to face a new day after his recent disappointment, with AG1’s drink supplement and Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” to help him power through the day.
Total views across all social platforms equated to 3.5 million. Views reached nearly 135,000 views on YouTube, and more than 2.5 million views on Instagram and 943,000 on TikTok. Follower growth for AG1 included 1,500.
Meet your audience in new places at the right time.
With the sponsored episode, not only would AG1 be supporting the show’s efforts to keep going, they knew they could potentially reach a new audience that values healthy eating habits, a principle that’s core to their business and products.
“We always want to educate people on our ingredients, and he’s a chef, and he chops up food and works with ingredients,” Dery said. “And so we wanted to play around with this idea of ‘wow, could Tiny Chef actually help educate some people?’”
The collaboration also felt right because it was a time when everyone had just learned what happened to Cheffy and they were rooting for his success, but they were also watching what his next moves would be, Dery said. Sponsoring the episode helped AG1 expand their reach at a time when lots of people were interested, he said.
Entertain, don’t advertise
Because Cheffy is charismatic and because audiences who watch him are invested in his character, AG1 felt like they could embed their product into Cheffy’s content in a way that feels seamless, fun and highly engaging, Dery said.
“People want to be entertained,” he said. “We’re not competing with other brands or ads, we’re competing with Netflix, ‘Game of Thrones’ and the favorite creators of our audience. That’s the bar we have to set for ourselves.”
Look for ways to engage consumers on a deeper level, Dery said. If you can entertain and educate at the same time, that’s a winning combination. Give people a reason to root for you.
Don’t force it
If a collaboration doesn’t feel authentic, you cannot force content there, Dery said.
“Our CEO was always showing clips of ‘Tiny Chef’ to employees and coworkers. We were always like ‘he’s just so charming!’” Dery said.
Because AG1 leaders knew and loved the content and understood what Cheffy’s values were as a vegan chef, it was the right brand alignment, he said.
“You can’t force yourself into a situation where you don’t belong,” Dery said. “You need authenticity. You can’t chase shiny things. Work with people who already love your brand and let their passion shine through.”
Collaborate with creators, influencers and other brands that genuinely believe in your brand values, or risk alienating your audience, he said. It’s about recognizing sentiment, placement and timing, he said.
“I like to focus on brand energy, which is the sentiment around the brand,” he said. “It’s about how people feel when they talk about AG1, how we’re perceived, et cetera. That energy is vital.”
Courtney Blackann is a communications reporter. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at courtneyb@ragan.com.
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