Dive Brief:

• Deli brand Dietz & Watson unveiled a 30-second spot promoting the new Dietz Nuts product, the "first-ever meat nut," which is actually a sausage bite, according to news shared with Marketing Dive. The product was created specifically for the Super Bowl, and the ad stars comedian Craig Robinson, best known for the TV show "The Office."
• The campaign, created with agency of record Red Tettemer O'Connell + Partners (RTO+P), will run on digital and social platforms. The creative features Robinson having a humorous conversation with his brother about the new snack, as they try to keep the conversation straight. It was inspired by the viral meme "Deez Nuts."
• Dietz & Watson is incorporating in-store elements into the effort. Dietz Nuts will additionally be available on Amazon Fresh, Amazon Prime Now and DietzandWatson.com ahead of the Super Bowl.

Dive Insight:

Dietz & Watson's innuendo-filled spot was inspired by the popular internet meme "Deez Nuts" and is a play off of the brand's name. "Deez Nuts" originated from the 1992 Dr. Dre album "The Chronic" and was also a satirical independent candidate in the 2016 presidential election. Casting Robinson for the campaign could help to broaden its appeal and reach, as "The Office" remains popular on Netflix despite going off the air in 2013. The show is especially popular with millennials.

Running the campaign on digital and social channels and launching a new Super Bowl-themed snack is likely helping Dietz & Watson to insert itself into the big game hype, while not shelling out the $5 million for a 30-second in-game spot. Dietz Nuts was originally planned as a Super Bowl stunt, but the brand decided to fully launch the product after noticing what it called a "whitespace in the market" for a meat snack.

Making Dietz Nuts available online should boost the brand's e-commerce sales and help it to tap into the growing interest in online grocery shopping, which is projected to be a $100 billion business by 2022 and represent more than 12% of the total U.S. retail and grocery business, per Nielsen data cited in a Supermarket News report. Millennial shoppers are showing the highest preference for online grocery shopping. Dietz Nuts' availability on Amazon Fresh and Amazon Prime Now is in line with Amazon's efforts to dominate new retail spaces like grocery delivery and appeal to mass audiences.

The new Dietz Nuts campaign is part of the brand's broader "It's a Family Thing" platform, which launched in May, and it's not the first time Dietz & Watson has attempted to link up with a popular sporting event. The brand celebrated the Major League All-Star Break in July with "All-Star Dogs," a line of 30 custom hot dog recipes inspired by each MLB team and its city's local flavors. The campaign ran across digital and social channels, with the recipes posted online for easy discovery and sharing.