The SPAM® Comfort Food Menu Launch
Challenge
SPAM® Classic Luncheon Meat is already a pantry staple that are used to create childhood favorites like SPAM®-silog, SPAM® musubi, and SPAM®-desal in Filipino households. The SPAM® Food Truck was launched to showcase the versatility and convenience of the SPAM® Brand and inspire cooks to come up with more creative and satisfying recipes they can make at home.
Evident was tasked to develop an integrated marketing strategy that creates excitement about the SPAM® Food Truck, which included both PR and social media executions inviting Filipinos to hop on a SPAM® Brand adventure.
Solution
Creating a comforting SPAM® Food Truck menu
The first step was to create a new SPAM® Food Truck Menu that will remind Filipinos of their go-to comfort food dishes. We brought in an up-and-coming Chef from Lampara RJ Ramos specializing in Neo-Filipino cuisine. Chef RJ Ramos elevated seven Filipino dishes using the SPAM® Classic as the main star of the show: SPAM® Rice Ball, SPAM® Cheeseburger, SPAM® Salpicao, SPAM® Takoyaki Bao, SPAM® Creamy Spicy Musubi, SPAM® Pandesal, and the secret recipe, SPAM® Kimchi Bao.
Generating online pre-event buzz with the #SPAMRiceBallChallenge
Evident came up with the #SPAMRiceBallChallenge – a no-fuss challenge that could be done in 15 minutes with 4 ingredients: rice, furikake, mirin, and SPAM® Luncheon Meat. This was the first initiative under the pre-launch tactical plan.
Food vlogger and content creator Cy Ynares, popularly known as the Bald Baker, started the challenge with a crossposted social media post, garnering over 100,000 engagements across Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Content creators like Mark Tan of Eatsplorations incorporated cinematography in his entry while the Bento Mommas community spruced up the SPAM® Rice Ball by making them look like adorable animals and anime characters.
@thebaldbakerph Let’s all do the #SPAMRiceBallChallenge! I’ll start! 🥢 #tiktokeatsph #foodietokph #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound - Cy / Bald Baker
Launching the SPAM® Food Truck Menu
The best way to entice people with the SPAM® Comfort Food menu is to bring it to them. There’s nothing like holding a bowl of fresh-off-the-pan SPAM® Classic dishes, smelling and tasting it as the chef tells the story of how the recipe came to be. This is what Evident did for the SPAM® Food Truck’s physical launch.
The SPAM® Comfort Food Tasting Event, held in Arcovia Pasig, was Evident’s first on-ground event during the pandemic. It was an exclusive, invite-only menu tasting event where invited guests got to taste the SPAM® Comfort Food menu as Chef RJ Ramos talked about the journey of creating the recipes.
In attendance were some of the most influential and up-and-coming foodies in the PH community, namely Chel Tiu, Pancho Nesh, Yuri Ferraren, Franz Valcerina, Conn Cruz, Krisha Bernal, and Edward Bugia.
To support the menu-tasting event, Evident distributed customized picnic baskets which contained an invitation card, SPAM® Cans, and several SPAM® Brand Merchandise including the SPAM® Slicer which caught the attention of many. The SPAM® Picnic Basket became a sought-out novelty kit and generated buzz on Facebook, Instagram, and even Tiktok.
To ensure safety protocols and proper social distancing were met, Evident only allowed 15 people within the event proper, including the staff, Chef RJ Ramos, the event host, and the invited guests. All attendees inside the event area tested negative in the COVID-19 Antigen test before going inside.**
Recreating the SPAM® Comfort Food at home
PH Foodie Community leader ForkSpoon Manila recreated the SPAM® Comfort Food menu, demonstrating how easy and convenient it is to cook your favorite comfort food recipes with Luncheon Meat from the comfort of your home.
Results
The #SPAMRiceBallChallenge garnered a total of 156,900 engagements across Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, and secured coverage from publications such as Manila Bulletin and BusinessWorld.
The SPAM® Comfort Food Launch garnered a total of 25,059 social media reach from the invited influencers. As for the PR efforts, the SPAM® Comfort Food menu launch was covered by top lifestyle publications in the country such as ANCx, SPOT.ph, and Philippine Daily Inquirer.
After the launch at Arcovia, the SPAM® Food Truck wheeled its way to prime locations such as Capitol Commons, Ortigas East, and Greenhills. Fans of the SPAM® Brand made sure to visit the Food Truck and post their orders on social media, tagging the SPAM® Instagram and Facebook profiles.
Evident’s omnichannel approach helped the SPAM® Food Truck Comfort Food campaign serve as a springboard for the SPAM® Brand’s marketing efforts in 2021.
**Evident enforced strict guidelines following the IATF and Pasig LGU guidelines. Strict social distancing was followed and food safety protocols were observed.
Interested in learning more about SPAM Comfort Food and other similar campaigns? Drop us a note!
