Two-thirds of the U.S population are now gamers. And this group buys $2billion worth of snacks annually. Pringles has prioritized the gaming occasion for future growth. The problem is that when gamers are deciding what to get for gaming sessions, they aren’t thinking about Pringles. The reality is that certain snacks, notably Doritos, have become classics within gaming culture. We needed to create a space for Pringles in this relatively new and confusing world. The risk is that brands too often use outdated communication methods when entering the gaming space. They force advertising into a place it doesn’t naturally belong, and the audience can sniff inauthenticity from a mile away. Gamers play games to be entertained, not advertised to. So, Pringles needed a natural and entertaining way to enter the space and get love from the community.

The inherent design flaw of every snack is that it requires hands. Which gamers are too busy using to play their games. So, Pringles applied the same genius it applies to making chips, to create a delivery mechanism for these chips. Introducing, the Hunger Hammer: an intentionally stupid, hands-free headset, engineered to feed gamers Pringles while they play. Problem solved. We built this monumental feat of engineering. And then we revealed it to the world in a hilarious Twitch Livestream. The stream featured three gaming influencers wearing the Hunger Hammer and being fed Pringles, while playing Gears of War 5. Over 500,000 people watched this bizarre live event, for over two hours. And chat activity more than doubled Twitch benchmarks.

Snacking plays an important role for gamers: it fuels gameplay, relieves stress from the competition and alleviates hunger. But when playing online multiplayer, you cannot pause. And it’s not advised to leave your character unmanned. Otherwise, you run the risk of being killed. So, what happens when you get hungry mid-game? Enter Pringles. In the 1960s, Pringles invented the first stackable, hyperbolic paraboloid shaped chip. We also invented our can for extra freshness. Inventiveness has always been at the heart of Pringles. So, in confronting the problem of gamers being unable to snack while playing, our strategy was to apply that same inventiveness. This led to an arguably genius (but inarguably hilarious) solution. The Hunger Hammer. A handsfree gaming headset that lets gamers snack mid game. We then had three gaming influencers use this invention during a Twitch Livestream, which attracted hundreds-of-thousands within the gaming community.

In late November 2019, we introduced the Hunger Hammer to the world through an Apple-style product launch video that appeared on Twitch, Twitter and YouTube. We then had gaming influencer Criken host a live unboxing of the Hunger Hammer on his Twitch stream. Around the same time, top tech publications, writers and influencers were given the opportunity to trial and review the Hunger Hammer themselves. In mid-December, once the idea had been seeded, the main event took place. Pringles put the Hunger Hammer to the test for the whole world to watch: We hosted a two-hour Twitch Livestream featuring three gaming influencers wearing the Hunger Hammer and being fed Pringles, while playing Gears of War 5. Over 500,000 people watched this absurd new product demo livestream. And Twitch was suitably entertained, with chat activity and engagement more than doubling the platform’s benchmarks.

The Hunger Hammer was the main attraction in a Twitch livestream that over 500,000 people watched for over two hours. Chat activity on this livestream more than doubled Twitch benchmarks. Suddenly, Pringles was headlining in places that don’t usually cover potato chips. Some of the publications discussing Pringles included: Engadget, Wired, Gamespot, HypeBeast, Mashable, The Gamer, Trendhunter and more. Pringles became top-of-mind for gamers who had, until this moment, always defaulted to Doritos. And thanks to all this, top gaming companies like Razr and the CEO of THX reached out on social to collaborate with us. Which created a second wave of interest for gaming fans.