The digital landscape took center stage during the pandemic, with people looking for new avenues to engage in social interaction. At 180NY, our client Conagra, a leading CPG food company, was enjoying unprecedented success during this period. With individuals confined to their homes, grocery budgets swelled, contributing to Conagra's thriving year. One of their most successful brands on social media, Slim Jim, had developed an incredibly dedicated following called the Long Boi Gang, so the client was looking for new ways to engage with different digital communities utilizing influencers for the first time. It was clear that we had to break away from the conventional influencer playbook of contrived endorsements and rehearsed product placements.
Our objective was to secure a sponsorship for Slim Jim with an influencer, sans any intrusion on their creative process. This approach allowed these influencers to leverage their strengths while permitting Slim Jim to seamlessly engage with their audience authentically through thoughtful product placement and conversations in the live stream chats.
We utilized our agency's production arm to craft distinctive, tailored merchandise for each creator. Among the array of products were a Slim Jim wrestling belt designed for online competitions, personalized workout apparel, an avant-garde wearable "Horck" costume (a fusion of a horse and duck), a unique Slim Jim rain stick, neon signs, and more.
Our efforts led us to collaborate with three prominent gaming/lifestyle influencers—Ludwig, The Black Hokage, and Krystalogy — as well as a talented music producer named Marc Rebillet. Slim Jim felt more like a partner than a sponsor during these live streams, which led to overwhelmingly positive feedback from these influencers' fans.
Throughout this venture, my responsibilities encompassed the development and negotiation of contracts and payments with talent managers and legal teams at TBWA. I also played a pivotal role in overseeing the production of custom merchandise, content creation and approval, stream scheduling, content dissemination as per distinct agreements, and facilitation of influencer payments.