Dive Brief:

• Cinnabon announced a new line of signature Chillattas frozen drinks for the summer along with the marketing campaign promoting the roll out in a press release.
• The digital marketing effort includes Twitter and Instagram influencer “superfans” who will each promote one of the new flavors based on their personalities in the #ChillattaChallange social media vote to let Cinnabon know which of the new flavors — including Signature Cinnamon Roll, Strawberries & Cream, OREO Cookies & Cream, and Double Chocolate Mocha, made with Ghirardelli Chocolate — is best. There is also a Facebook “What’s Your Flavor?” personality quiz where followers can learn their “Chillatta essence.”
• The campaign also had an innovative interactive element on June 19 on the desktop and mobile versions of Cinnabon.com where the website was “frozen” with virtual icy frost appearing on screens that had to be scraped off with a mouse on the desktop website or finger on the mobile version allowing visitors to unveil prizes such as BOGO Chillattas, Cinnabon swag, and free Cinnabon for a year.

Dive Insight:

Cinnabon's influencer-driven social media contest is the latest indication that influencer marketing continues to become a staple of social media marketing. In the quick serve restaurant sector Cinnabon has been noted for its social media outreach. In March, it was listed number five among QSR brands for social currency in a report from branding firm Vivaldi and the consultancy CMB titled, "The Power of Social Currency." 

The interactive website element of the campaign is an example of marketers no longer viewing web properties as relatively static marketing assets that are required to have predictable navigation elements and user experiences.

It’s notable that the “frozen” website only lasted for one day — there are probably marketing limits on how much websites can be experimented with — but fun and creative takeovers of the website experience, especially with an interactive element coupled with prizes can be an effective way to reward people who regularly visit the site.