News and Insights
Bubbies Mochi, a PRDaily Media Relations Award Finalist
November 2, 2022
What was the goal?
Leveraging the emotional benefit of small everyday joys (like ice cream) the goal of the #BubbiesTreatWave campaign was to generate widespread excitement and awareness for Bubbies Mochi – the No. 1 and fastest-growing mochi ice cream brand in the natural channel – as the most delicious, mindfully indulgent and versatile frozen dessert available, with a focus on generating consumer trial and ultimately sales lift in Whole Foods Market and Sprouts stores in Los Angeles and San Diego.
What were the strategy & tactics?
The Rachel Kay Public Relations (RKPR) team developed a multi-pronged PR, field activation and influencer strategy to drive regional and national awareness and social buzz all focused on driving consumers in store to purchase.
Our national media strategy included custom sampling kits and aggressive 1:1 outreach to food, lifestyle, and parenting press positioning the mochi ice cream as the perfect better-for-you summer treat, flavor spotlight stories for specific SKUs, plant-based trend stories, retailer focused snack roundups and more. We also coordinated a national survey activation with an external partner to identify compelling data and insights about how Americans were finding comfort in “little joys” in the midst of the pandemic. As part of the national strategy we also pursued dedicated coverage during National Ice Cream Month and National Ice Cream Day highlighting unique frozen treats and how consumers could celebrate for free, leveraging a BOGO coupon to connect coverage to retail sales.
Our regional campaign was heavily rooted in grassroots sampling and trial, hitting the beaches in Los Angeles and San Diego with wrapped, branded ice cream carts. We coordinated all logistics and everyone who received an individually wrapped sample also received a postcard with a coupon inviting them to find Bubbies at their local Whole Foods and Sprouts stores to track sales lift. We promoted the mochi ice cream cart activation through hard hitting regional media relations (including online, print and broadcast) in addition to influencer activations promoting our beach pop-ups before, during and after each event. Our Influencer Ambassador Program consisted of both earned and paid partnerships with macro and micro lifestyle, foodie, and parenting influencers throughout Los Angeles and San Diego.
How was the campaign executed?
The #BubbiesTreatWave campaign took place from June through August with the majority of activity and beach activation sampling occurring in July. Launched with a combination of PR and influencer activations, we conducted aggressive product and retailer/sales-focused outreach to secure coverage both nationally and in focus markets, highlighting key retailers and securing stories that featured the brand as the best summer snack at Whole Foods, most satisfying ice cream treat under 90 calories, and the best plant-based frozen treat to stay cool in the summer, among others. We also pitched local press, and conducted drops to broadcast media while posting calendar listings to drive consumers to the in-person Beach Drops.
On the influencer side, local food and culinary trend-spotting influencer partners were sent custom #BubbiesTreatWave sampling and swag kits to encourage UGC and sharing on their owned Instagram channels, bringing awareness to the product and excitement around upcoming events in each city. They shared custom social posts that tagged the brand and educated consumers on where they could find the product, while also using branded and non-branded hashtags to aid in discovery. Along with their social posts, they invited their communities to get a taste of Bubbies mochi during beach drop days, and helped to drive trial – and ultimately get consumers in-store to purchase. The Beach Drop activation followed in July for National Ice Cream Month to help beachgoers in Southern California (specifically the Los Angeles and San Diego areas) beat the heat with delicious Mochi Ice Cream treats available at Whole Foods and Sprouts. For four consecutive weekends, beachgoers could find the Bubbies Treat Wave Ice Cream Cart and brand ambassadors passing out Bubbies best-selling flavors: Strawberry, Mango, and Vegan Chocolate.
What were the results?
We garnered more than 112 stories and 874 million impressions across influential consumer, trade, and business outlets – including national and local coverage in Byrdie, USA Today, KTLA 5, Parade, Eat This, Not That!, LA Today and more. We also generated over 2.5 million impressions from social media stories and posts from influencers based in Los Angeles and San Diego. The survey activation resulted in over 4.8B online readerships and 8.9M coverage reads and views off the 75 total placements.
Following the #BubbiesTreatWave campaign Bubbies Mochi experienced the following sales lift:
- According to Food Market, Bubbies Mochi weekly sales in Los Angeles saw a 40-60% lift each week for the promotional period, while sales in San Diego saw a 30-60% lift each week.
- The brand also reported a sales increase in both Los Angeles and San Diego of up to 25% the prior year, signaling more everyday purchasing of mochi by consumers in these grocery markets.
POSTED BY: Natalie Terashima
