KRISPY KREME AUSTRALIA

The doughnut retailer launched a virtual retro arcade to celebrate the release of its Throwback Party range, using photo and video ads in Instagram feed and Stories.

View @krispykremeaustralia
THE STORY
Reinvigorating snack time

Krispy Kreme is famous for its Original Glazed Doughnuts and barista coffee. In 2019 Krispy Kreme released four retro doughnut flavors inspired by Aussie childhood classics—Fairy Bread, Choc Brownie Batter, Cookie Dough and Finger Bun—which it called its Throwback Party range.

25-point

increase in ad recall

33-point

increase in unique users

51%

increase in number of mobile users visiting the website

30%

increase in ecommerce sales, year over year

The ease of entry and customer-centric nature of Instagram led us to choose this universally loved and widely used platform. By using Instagram, an app our target audience is highly active on, we could create a seamless user experience that was fun and engaging. We have seen incredible brand results, far exceeding our expectations.
RUSSELL SCHULMAN, FORMER CMO, KRISPY KREME AUSTRALIA
THE GOAL
A taste of childhood

While Krispy Kreme Doughnuts are loved, the brand has not been top of mind for younger consumers. Through a nostalgic digital campaign, Krispy Kreme wanted to remind Australian millennials why they love doughnuts by tapping into cultural trends and using the latest technology to increase relevance among a whole new audience.

THE SOLUTION
Creating old-school nostalgia

Nostalgia and retro throwbacks had become one of the biggest trends of the year, so Krispy Kreme launched a suite of retro mobile arcade games, turning its Instagram profile into a virtual arcade.

The mobile games celebrated four new doughnut flavors released as part of The Throwback Party range. Each game was inspired by a classic 1990s video game, including Finger Bun Fighter, Krispy Kart, Fairy Bread Fantasy and Choc-Brownie Bash.

To drive awareness, Krispy Kreme promoted the games via photo and video ads in Instagram feed and Stories. Before this campaign, Krispy Kreme Australia had seen a significant increase in the number of Instagram Story views and wanted to find a way to take advantage of this trend and take a creative idea to the next level.

People could swipe straight from the ads in Stories to load a virtual retro-inspired handheld game console on their screens. Players didn’t have to leave the Krispy Kreme Instagram world, and could play the games right there in Stories and then return to Krispy's profile to switch games and play some more.

A leaderboard tracked the high scores of players, with the top players on the leaderboard winning either a three-month, six-month or one-year supply of Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

The five week campaign ran across April and May 2019 and achieved:

  • 25-point increase in ad recall

  • 33-point increase in unique users

  • 51% increase in number of mobile users visiting the website

  • 30% increase in ecommerce sales, year over year

Create Ad
Growing up as a kid we had arcade parties filled with classic video games and party food like fairy-bread. The games we created for Krispy Kreme Australia act like a spaceship, instantly transporting people through Instagram back to simpler times, on their most familiar companion—their phone.
JAY MORGAN, INNOVATIONS DIRECTOR, THE MONKEYS
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