Building on the consumer trend of spicy challenges, Campbell's dared consumers to try the hottest new soup on the market and the only one requiring a waiver. Using a drop strategy to drive buzz and excitement, Campbell's drove national headlines, garnered 36,000 sign-ups, and a one-minute sellout, the fastest in Campbell's history. The demand for the LTO was so great, Campbell's even had national retailers begging the brand to turn Chunky Ghost Pepper into a permanent offering (and spoiler alert: Campbell's did).
During the pandemic, consumers across America rediscovered the "soup that eats like a meal": Campbell's Chunky soup. But, as the pandemic subsided and normalcy returns, how would the brand remain relevant with the new brand fans?
So, to make soup cool, Campbell's Chunky made it hotter.
Tapping into the brand's ethos centered around pushing flavor boundaries and delivering hearty satisfaction, the soup maker challenged consumers' taste buds with its spiciest innovation ever: Chunky Ghost Pepper Chicken Noodle Soup.
This LTO (limited time offering) was meant to drive earned and social conversation, and, in turn, draw attention to their entire spicy portfolio.
During the coldest time of the year, the pipeline for product innovation heats up — from new back-to-school to back-to-work products to Halloween and holiday products and snacks and more. Campbell's knew the brand needed to stand out.
Primary research gave Campbell's an answer: Spicy foods are on fire, particularly among its younger audiences. Millennials and gen Z show the strongest preference, with 45 percent saying they prefer snacks with spicy flavors. Between 2008 and 2022, there's also been growth (210 percent) in search volume for hot sauce, showing a strong increase in consumer interest and demand, according to Facts and Factors Research in 2021. Even Instacart, the leading grocery delivery service, found that 74 percent of Americans eat hot sauce with their food — and nearly half (45 percent) said they typically dash hot sauce on their food once a week or more.
The hotter the food, the stronger you're viewed? At least, this is true in the eyes of "Hot Food Fanatics" and the classic gen Zers who love a challenge.
With the insight from the brand's target consumer that hot food serves as a proxy for toughness, Campbell's capitalized on the heat and challenge culture: Chunky created a "waiver" consumers had to sign, vowing they could handle the heat.
To create a sense of exclusivity, Campbell's scheduled a drop moment for Chunky Ghost Pepper for only the most daring foodies: The first 500 brave souls who signed the "waiver" at ChunkySpicyWaiver.com would receive the soup. To emphasize the spice level of the soup — and give those brave soul some extra special swag with their bragging rights — each can would be shipped with a "cool-off kit," featuring a cooling towel, fan, sweatband, and tissues.
The campaign unfolded in two phases. On January 24, Campbell's unveiled the scorching limited-edition Chunky Ghost Pepper Soup. Roaring through Chunky's social channels and a national press release, the secret was unleashed: To taste the inferno, enthusiasts had to visit ChunkySpicyWaiver.com. There, they'd sign the waiver, affirming they could handle the heat.
But that was just the beginning. Campbell's intensified the launch, infusing energy from Chunky's NFL partners and influencers known for their love of spicy foods. These influencers then shared the news of the Chunky Ghost Pepper drop via their TikTok and Instagram channels directing followers to ChunkySpicyWavier.com. From The Crazy Gorilla to Brian Ambs and Fox Solo, the stage was ablaze with these authentically spice-loving icons.
In three heart-pounding days, spice aficionados stood ready — poised for the ultimate product drop that was coming their way on January 27th.
All 500 "cool-off kits" were claimed in less than one minute, setting a new record for Chunky.
Finally, Chunky hosted one final "challenge" that would drive home the level of integration across the campaign. To further drive connectivity between Campbell's Chunky and spicy flavors and bring the external hype around the drop inside, Campbell's CEO Mark Clouse challenged the president of Campbell's meals and beverages, Mick Beekhuizen, to a contest, vying for the ultimate spicy soup crown: Who could eat the most spoonfuls of the company's hottest ever soup? The internal audience loved seeing which of their leaders could best handle the heat — and, FYI, Mick was able to have eight spoonfuls, beating out the top executive (who had six).
After securing more than 36,000 consumer signups leading up to the drop — the Chunky Ghost Pepper Chicken Noodle Soup kits caught fire, selling out in less than one minute on the highly anticipated "drop day."
Further, the hype was fanned by earned media coverage and a social media frenzy. Campbell's racked up 4.7 million social impressions and 834.6 million impressions via 333 earned media placement, all within a three-day window.
Most importantly, Campbell's drove true business results, which were recognized by the
C-Suite and investors alike. The product performed so well that the Chunky Ghost Pepper Chicken Noodle LTO campaign was highlighted during Campbell's Q2 earnings call for "driving significant buzz" and served as a proof point to exciting shoppers.
Intrigued by the media headlines and social chatter for the LTO, retailers clamored to get their hands on the new flavor innovation, reaching out to the Campbell's sales team to see if they could turn this LTO into a full time offering — and making Chunky Ghost Pepper Chicken Noodle Soup a permanent on-shelf offering. More results included:
