Dive Brief: 

• Kraft Heinz brand Oscar Mayer is giving away a lifetime supply of bacon as part of a new campaign celebrating World Vegan Day on Nov. 1, per details shared with Marketing Dive. Consumers are only eligible if they pledge to “BacOff,” or abstain from eating bacon during the holiday.
• To promote the sweepstakes, Oscar Mayer will remove bacon from its paid media and blur, censor or remove bacon from its social media.
• The ironic campaign follows research by the brand that found 53% of vegans leave their diets in pursuit of bacon and is the latest example of the marketer leaning into humor. 

Dive Insight: 

Oscar Mayer’s World Vegan Day approach is a less-than conventional means of extending a hand to the vegan population and the growing number of consumers who prioritize sustainability, but it may ironically prove to resonate. According to lengthy survey findings by the brand, over half of vegans would abandon their diets for bacon, and 62% of vegans agree that if they were to cheat, it would be for bacon.

Calling bacon the “gateway meat,” Oscar Mayer’s “BacOFF” campaign positions its offering as the bacon worth cheating for. In an attempt to help vegans stay on track, the brand is urging meat-eaters to stand in solidarity by pledging via social media to not eat meat Nov. 1, the same day as World Vegan Day, for the chance to score a lifetime of free bacon. To join the pledge, consumers must comment on the brand’s Instagram or Facebook post tagging two people with the hashtags #OscarMayerBacOff and #Sweepstakes. On Twitter, consumers must retweet the brand’s post, tag two people and use the same two hashtags. 

The campaign will stretch beyond the giveaway, with the brand not-so-thoroughly blurring bacon from its social media and removing it from other paid efforts, a playful move that comes as consumers report that they’re craving humor from the advertisements they consume.

Kraft Heinz and its widespread portfolio of brands have leaned into humor this year, with Oscar Mayer being the latest to follow suit. Earlier this month, Kraft launched its “Where’s the Mac?” campaign that encourages consumers to tweet to McDonald’s asking for its Kraft product to be added to McDonald’s burgers. In August, Kraft Heinz looked to elevate its mayonnaise offering with its “Mayo Rituals” campaign, which looked to celebrate the weird traditions some share with the condiment. Timed to Halloween, the company rolled out its Tomato Blood ketchup, a spin on its original offering, and enlisted a popular TikTok influencer to play the role of a vegan vampire in a comical spot. 

National holidays seem to be an opportunity point for brands, with Oscar Mayer joining a slew of others who have looked to niche days. For example, McCormick & Company’s mustard brand French’s partnered with artisanal donut maker Dough Donuts to create a limited edition, mustard-flavored donut for National Mustard Day in August. In July, Applebee’s partnered with makeup and skincare brand Winky Lux to create Saucy Gloss, a collection of wing-inspired lip glosses, timed to National Wing Day.