Client: Merbs Candies
Project: Outdoor Campaign
Platform: Billboards
Date: 2009 – 2010
Merb’s Candies challenged us to come up with a way to showcase their famous Bionic apples online. Somewhere in the discussion the client asked if we thought creating a billboard was a good idea. Well, who wouldn’t be tempted by a 10’ tall plump caramel-coated, pecan-encrusted beauty of a Bionic apple as they zip by on the highway? We thought this was a great idea and got to work.
In less than 24 hours we had the perfect shot. A layout followed, then client approval and it was up alongside Highway 44 in 7 days. (We don’t love having to do things that fast, but everything came together beautifully!)
Over the next 6 months we rolled out 2 more boards that featured signature Merb’s selections, appropriate for the season. (Fall: Bionic Apples, Winter: Molasses Puffs, Valentine’s Day: Chocolate Covered Strawberries) The funny thing about this billboard campaign was that it worked, and worked well. Several times over the course of the campaign the client was flooded with so many new customers that they ran out of the featured candy.
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Even at 70mph, the original Bionic Apple billboard really stood out. And, so much so that a local correspondent for KSDK noticed the ad on her way into work, the first week it was up, and ended up doing a full feature story on Merb’s that aired on NBC. Proof that even a 30+ year old candy store can use a little promotion!
In addition to the billboard campaign Scorch also designed and deployed an online candy store for Merb’s entire product catalog. Oh how we love Merb’s. They are by far our sweetest client.
