To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Nutella staged a buzzy activation in New York near Madison Square Park with games, photo ops, and free Nutella treats—including the of-the-moment dessert, the Cronut.
The Nutella-flavored Cronut, created by chef Dominique Ansel, who was on site, was the highlight of the May 19 event, drawing lines at 6:30 a.m. for the 10 a.m. opening. More than 3,000 Cronuts were served along with Nutella waffles and other pastry snacks. Nearly 7,500 samples were served, resulting in about 10,000 consumer impressions.
In addition to snacks, visitors to the pop-up posed for photos with a giant Nutella jar and in a branded photo booths encouraging guests to share their memories of the Ferrero-owned brand via the #SpreadtheHappy hashtag. The promotion resulted in more than 3,300 social mentions. Interactive games such as a beanbag toss also bore the the hazelnut spread's logo.
The promotion served as the official launch to the Nutella "Spread the Happy" truck tour, which will travel to 16 cities in the United States throughout 2014. The campaign will follow the journey of a single jar of Nutella as it's shared among fans of the snack.