Honey Baked Ham wants to make its presence known at football tailgates.
Honey Baked Ham is sacking the idea that it's only meant for the holidays.
A new campaign just in time for the college football season moves the brand beyond its usual comfort zone of holiday marketing that has traditionally played into Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter feasts. The effort, from BBDO, is not shy on ham-football puns, suggesting that Honey Baked is also a match for football tailgates because the sport includes pigskins and “perfect spirals.”
The campaign, called “Gameday is a HoneyBaked Day,” is the largest marketing effort in the brand’s history outside of the holiday season. It comes just days before the college football season is set to begin this weekend.
TV ads will run on ESPN’s SEC and ACC networks, as well as digital video and social media. The campaign will also include national radio spots and HoneyBaked will have on-site activations at college football games throughout the fall.
“We are trying to create a new season for our brand,” said Tripp McLaughlin, chief marketing officer at The Honey Baked Ham Company. “The concept came about as we thought about where the brand is strongest, and that is usually holidays when folks are gathered and there is good food. We want to remind customers that there are other occasions outside the holidays where you gather and food is at the center.”
HoneyBaked found that 85% of the 1,050 American sports fans it surveyed in July wanted to see ham at their upcoming tailgates and watch parties. McLaughlin said that the brand also looked on social media and talked to franchisees, who said that fans were already coming in for those non-holiday occasions.
“We saw all these alignments with our brand voice—pig skins, spirals, sides,” he said.
Tailgate-ready options include the Half Ham Playmaker Pack, a build-your-own ham slider kit including an eight-pound, bone-in half ham, four sides and two 12-packs of King's Hawaiian Rolls. The Pick 2 Slider pack includes two 12-packs of sliders and eight bags of chips. The Big Game Sandwich Pack lets customers choose an assortment of the brand’s sandwiches, along with a bag of chips per person. The Sandwich Playmaker Pack is another build-your-own sandwich kit with two sides and one cookie per person. The packs will only be available at HoneyBaked locations or can be purchased online and picked up in-store. They will retail for around $9.99 per person but could vary by location.
The new campaign isn’t totally out of nowhere. Last fall, HoneyBaked tested out adding sliders to its menu, which was a success. The brand also rolled out its own loyalty program ahead of the holidays and focuses on both Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving. HoneyBaked has over 400 locations in the U.S., with the majority of locations in the South. (Georgia has the most locations.)
“We think this will be year one of a multi-year investment,” said McLaughlin.
ESPN hosts Laura Rutledge of “NFL Live” and “SEC Nation,” and Katie George, a reporter for ESPN/ABC Saturday college football games, are spokespeople for the campaign and will promote it on social media.
“When we thought of who we wanted to partner with, we wanted people who resonate with the football community, but also with hosts and parenting communities who want convenient meals or to elevate their hosting experience,” said McLaughlin.
