However, the celebrities in the audience were not the only ones to be surprised by Kimmel's stunt--the makers of these candies were equally surprised to be given free product placement during one of the most watched live programs on television. While other brands spent about $2 million for a 30-second spot during the show, according to AdWeek, these candy brands gained visibility for free, however, only two took to social media to further capitalize on the opportunity.
The first candies to fall from the sky during the show were Junior Mints and Red Vines. Shortly after the reveal, Red Vines tweeted about the surprise appearance with a photo fit for the event.
Junior Mints did not respond to the mention.
Later in the broadcast, Kimmel and actor Sunny Pawar announced that the next candies to fall would be Lemonheads and Mike & Ike, and while Lemonheads, like Junior Mints did not respond to the free publicity, Mike & Ike used the visibility for marketing via social media. The first tweet came during the Oscars, when Mike & Ike's tweeted a thank you to Kimmel.
Mike and Ike furthered its alignment with the Oscars the next day when it tweeted a suggestion for a new candy mix in Kimmel and Pawar's honor.
One of the advantages of brand social media accounts is being able to get information, and often marketing information to consumers quickly. It seemed that the surprise product placement during the Oscars would have been a perfect time to build on something that already had the attention of hundreds of thousands.
I think that Red Vines and Mike & Ike were smart to take to social media to add awareness to their brands. I was left wondering why Junior Mints and Lemonheads would not follow suit.
Good post. I agree that social media accounts for brands are perfect for events like this. It is the only place where they could respond quickly enough and help keep the world out there.
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