MoonPie’s #TheBigThing Saga Finally Made it to National TV Screens... At Gas Pumps
For the past two years, Chattanooga Bakery’s MoonPie and agency of record Tombras have subverted big budget advertising with a series of escalating campaigns shared across the beloved snack cake brand’s social platforms.
In 2018, they kicked-off #TheBigThing campaign by publishing nine absurd scripts for TV spots they would have aired if only they had the budget. The internet went a little crazy.
- The Tweet announcing scripts
In 2019, #TheBigThing continued when three of those spots were actually produced, and again shared socially, and the internet went a little more crazy for #TheBigThing.
This year, the brand has taken things to the next level and aired a new #TheBigThing national TV spot, building off #TheBigThing, and this time it ran nationally on hundreds of thousands of screens throughout America.
Only, those screens were located on fuel pumps at gas stations, and the spot aired on GSTV’s data-driven, national video network that reaches 1 in 3 Americans monthly at 22K+ fuel retailers across the country.
“This would seem like a crazy idea for most brands, but it’s perfect for MoonPie because it’s an Outta This World creative idea and media placement,” said Dooley Tombras, president at Tombras. “Millions of consumers stop by gas station convenience stores on their way to parties or to stock up for their own gatherings. So not only did we finally make a TV spot for MoonPie, but we did it while making sure we were in the right place at the right time with a spot worthy of advertising’s biggest day.”
“Living in New York City for nine years where they have these baby gas stations, it had been awhile since I’d been to a real, American fuel stop,” said Jeff Benjamin, chief creative officer at Tombras. “The innovation that’s taken place fuelled our thinking, and made GSTV the perfect Outta This World platform for our trilogy. What a fun way to keep this campaign running. I’m pumped.”
The spot will begin running at noon ET Sunday while consumers were making last-minute runs to convenience stores to pick up essentials.
“When Tombras approached us, we immediately realised their idea was a stroke of genius – and not just because of the spot’s creative vision,” said Sean McCaffrey, president and CEO at GSTV. “Brands today know it’s increasingly difficult to find moments when consumer attention is truly focused, so with an unavoidably attention-grabbing spot, and a media buy that leverages the full scale and capabilities of GSTV, it’s the perfect way to stand out.”
