Beloved condiment A.1. made a big announcement last week; it’s breaking up with steak and it’s doing it publicly, on Facebook. After 50 years together, A.1. is removing the “steak” from its name with its “For Almost Everything. Almost.” campaign, just in time for the Memorial Day kickoff to grilling season. We took a look A.1. and others to see which cookout condiments are lighting a flame on Facebook before the big holiday.
- A.1. – Owned by Kraft, A.1. Steak Sauce has rebranded itself to simply A.1. Sauce. With a $13.3 million drop in sales in the last decade, the brand needed to find its personality and claim its spot on all patio tables this season. Teaming up with Crispin Porter + Bogusky , A.1. broke the news with a hilarious Facebook video called New Friend Requests and suggesting that the sauce is ready to start flirting with the likes of pork, salmon and even lobster.
- Sweet Baby Ray’s – The popular BBQ sauce brand is taking its tanginess on the road with its “Summer of Sauce” tour. Armed with a pick-up and plenty of product, SBR is hitting major sporting events, concerts and festivals and asking fans to share their experiences using the hashtag #SweetBabyRays. The fans who best represent the “Sauce is Boss” mentality will enjoy a year’s supply of Sweet Baby Ray’s.
- Heinz – Out of all the above brands, Heinz is the only one that has specifically called out Memorial Day on Facebook and put some content out towards it. With its #ifyourehappy campaign, the ketchup brand is putting out shareable, fun posts reminiscent of Oreo’s “Daily Twist” in 2012.
- Hellmann’s – As soon as May hit, so did Hellmann’s assault on Facebook BBQ-goers. Kicking off the summer season with a fresh new logo means it’ll be taking its bold new look to shelves all over the country, but activating its digital plan is where they’re really shining. Hellmann’s is staging a #BURGERVENTION on Facebook with a mix of user-generated recipes, beautiful photos and how-to videos featuring country singer Trisha Yearwood. It’s clear the brand is looking to stay on top this BBQ season and was by far the most focused brand we looked at in terms of Memorial Day weekend content.
With competition at its highest, getting the attention of fans over holiday weekends can be tough. But with the help of Facebook, a brand is able to target the users it wants with the content they deserve. The above brands have shown that with well-timed rebrands, focused content and social media-driven contests, the holidays are there for the taking.
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