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Brand Purpose Out Of Home PR Stunts

Trade ad for single Cheestring blows up in Canada

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By John Glenday | Reporter

August 12, 2022 | 5 min read

Cheestring is taking Toronto by storm on the back of a large-scale out-of-home (OOH) poster and billboard campaign commissioned by one wily owner plotting the trade of the century.

Cheestring

The Cheestring billboard asks for trades for a single cheesy snack

The tongue-in-cheek small ad has been given a giant platform by the creative team at Broken Heart Love Affair, which has pulled out all the stops to maximize the value of a single Cheestring.

Canadians are invited to table their offers of trade for the delicacy, still in its original packaging, with the seller cautioning against lowball offers, stating: “I know what I have.”

The large-scale push appears to have done the trick with over 1,000 offers received thus far, including a golden gorilla statue, Shaquille O’Neal Rookie Cards and someone’s pregnant girlfriend. Prospective Cheestring owners are directed to phone professional trader Angel Domingo, played by actor Joey Harlem, to close the deal.

Playing up to Cheestrings’ fun and playful brand perception, the stunt forms part of the broader ‘Keep it Cheesy’ campaign, which communicates the idea that the snack brand can make life more playful.

Jordan Hamer, creative director at Broken Heart Love Affair, said: “We all remember trading snacks like Cheestrings at school when we were kids. We wanted the billboard stunt to help adults remember their fun side.”

Promoting Black Diamond Cheestrings across social, television and OOH, the campaign focuses on a 30-second film, Lunch Trade, in which office workers engage in an increasingly elaborate system of bartering to net a prized Cheestring.

Enrique Larez, marketing director for Black Diamond & Tablespreads, added: “We’ve maintained the magic of the brand that captured our hearts nearly three decades ago. Cheestrings are fun. They represent happiness and silliness, and each peel is really an invitation for play. It gives us permission to bring out the kid in everyone. This is just the beginning of a transformational brand platform that will live on for years to come.”

Thinking small has delivered big results for Cheestrings, with the unorthodox approach generating upwards of 213m social media impressions, as well as the attention of local news media.

Credits

  • Campaign Title: Keep it Cheesy

  • Client: Lactalis Canada Inc

  • Brand: Cheestrings

  • Vice President, Marketing - Cheese & Tablespreads - Lactalis: Sabrina Zollo

  • Marketing Director, Black Diamond & Tablespreads: Enrique Larez

  • Creative Agency: Broken Heart Love Affair

  • Chief Creative Officer: Carlos Moreno, Denise Rosetto, Todd Mackie, Craig McIntosh, Jaimes Zentil

  • Chief Business Officer: Bev Hammond

  • Creative Directors: Jordan Hamer, Spencer Ryan

  • Writer: Jordan Hamer

  • Art Director: Spencer Ryan

  • VP Strategy: Kristy Pleckaitis

  • Broadcast Producer: Erica Metcalfe

  • Integrated Producer: Demi Veselinovic

  • Production Coordinator: Olivia Cousineau

  • VP, Client Success: Joline Matika

  • Supervisor, Client Success: Annabel Harding

  • Production Company: Partners Film

  • Director: Fugitives

  • Executive Producers: Gigi Realini, Aerin Barnes

  • Line Producer: Jeff Schwartz

  • Director of Photography: Mikhail Petrenko

  • Assistant Director: Michael Metcalfe

  • Editing House: Saints Editorial

  • Editor: Brian Williams

  • Assistant Editor: Corinne Grans-Wood

  • Executive Producers: Michelle Rich, Mackenzie Goodwin

  • Post-Production House: Darling

  • Colourist: Kassi Bellamy

  • Colour Assistants: Will Culverwell, Jesse Hilton

  • Executive Producer: Stephanie Hickman

  • Producer: Faith Clark

  • Flame Artist: Lauren Rempel

  • Audio House: OSO

  • Creative Director: Daenen Bramberger

  • Executive Producer: Hannah Graham

  • Casting: Mann Casting

  • Media Agency (Activation): Epitaph

  • Media Agency (TV/OLV): Zenith Media

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