Objective: Revitalize Corn Nuts’ brand presence with edgy, risk-taking social media concepts that resonate with a younger, humor-driven audience.
Challenge
Corn Nuts had a legacy radio spot titled “Bust a Nut with Corn Nuts” that pushed boundaries with its innuendo. The brand sought innovative and bold ideas to engage its target audience, but it was unclear how far they were willing to go. The challenge was to create a concept that captured attention without alienating stakeholders or audiences.
Insight
Humor, especially with a risqué or absurdist edge, has a strong appeal to younger audiences. The trend of “bubbling,” a quirky and mildly controversial online phenomenon, represented a playful cultural moment that could connect with Corn Nuts’ irreverent personality.
Opportunity
Capitalize on Corn Nuts’ willingness to embrace risk by creating a concept that pushed boundaries while aligning with the brand’s edgy and humorous tone.
Solution: Cornography
- Concept Development
- Coined the term “Cornography,” a cheeky play on words tying the bold and irreverent nature of Corn Nuts to the cultural trend of “bubbling.”
- Imagined a photo editing app that let users alter images with comedic overlays, replacing elements with Corn Nuts imagery.
- Pitch Execution
- Brought tame, safe social media ideas to the initial meeting to test the waters, only to learn the Kraft executives fully understood the innuendo of their existing campaign.
- Pivoted to the Cornography idea, highlighting its alignment with the brand’s bold personality and appeal to a younger, meme-savvy audience.
- Social Media Strategy
- Proposed humorous and shareable social content featuring “Cornography” edits, memes, and user-generated content challenges.
- Designed mockups of app functionality to show how users could “cornify” images with branded overlays and filters.
Results
- While the Cornography app was not developed, the concept sparked significant enthusiasm and demonstrated the team’s ability to think creatively and take calculated risks.
- Kraft extended additional opportunities for social media and campaign work across other product lines, marking the beginning of a broader partnership.
- Positioned Corn Nuts as a brand unafraid to embrace humor and irreverence, solidifying its appeal to a younger demographic.
Takeaway
The Cornography pitch exemplified the power of understanding a brand’s willingness to push boundaries and leveraging cultural trends to create concepts that resonate. Though the app remained an idea, the creative boldness of the campaign led to a lasting and fruitful relationship with Kraft.
