Cannes Lions
VML, Sao Paulo / MENTOS / 2024
Overview
Entries
Credits
Background
Situation: Mentos aims to increase their sales in the online gaming community, and one of their biggest challenges is the poor quality of internet. Broadly, 80% of Brazilians lack quality access to the internet. Furthermore, there's a Brazilian Law (574, art. 21 - Resolução da Anatel) that permits internet companies to deliver only 40% of the contracted speed.
Brief: How can Mentos boost its sales while simultaneously enhancing the gameplay experience for players without spending a significant amount of money on a campaign?
Objective: To generate conversation within the gamer community to boost Mentos sales and increase brand affinity among Gen-Z consumers, thereby strengthening their connection to the brand.
Idea
The worst thing for anyone who plays online games is low-quality internet. This issue can ruin the whole gaming experience, making the game unplayable. And nothing causes more rage than this.
So, we created a campaign teaching people to improve their internet signal and performance using the Mentos package. When their internet signal was low and the games were freezing, they could capture their screen and tag @MentosBrasil on social media to win discounts on our products and boost their internet speed. All this while they enjoyed our sweets.
Strategy
Mentos' core target in Brazil is young people aged 18 to 24 - the famous Gen Z. They are more skeptical about traditional advertising, believing that brands are not their partners but merely interested in sales. They expect more than just a sales pitch; they want brands to take action to improve their lives and engage in their passions as much as they do. Online gaming is one of the passions on the rise among this demographic in Brazil. Brazil ranks as the 3rd largest gaming country in the world, with 95 million gamers. 76% of Brazilians cite online games as their main source of entertainment. Therefore, we took a bold approach by teaching them a hack to improve internet signal using our own product.
Execution
It all started with a tutorial video on social media teaching gamers how the hack works, inviting them to use the aluminum foil from our package to boost their internet speed when the signal was low. They could capture their screen when their online games froze and tag @MentosBrasil on social media to win discounts on our products. We also enlisted prominent gamers and influencers in Brazil to spread this message through videos showcasing their own hacks.
Featuring names like Milena Esquierdo (Pro player streamer, 12,2MM followers), CaioX (Pro player streamer, 5,4MM followers), Castrin (Gamer and streamer, 6,3MM followers), Brabox (Gamer and streamer, 6,4MM followers) and several others.
Outcome
With 32 million in earned media and over 37 million views, people began discussing Mentos on social media, attributing the brand to improving their internet signal. Without spending a single dollar on the campaign, we achieved a 27% increase in engagement, leading to many people purchasing Mentos to test and improve their internet speed. Our campaign spread globally and was featured on various DIY, tech, advertising, and industry portals.
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