Dive Brief:

• Oscar Mayer today (Dec. 12) launched a national campaign, “A Side of Bacon,” through a tie-up with Mint Mobile, the wireless service owned by Ryan Reynolds, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
• Key to the effort is a 15-second spot touting an offer for consumers who purchase any three-month Mint Mobile plan to receive a coupon for free Oscar Mayer bacon. Oscar Mayer is also partnering with local businesses to offer consumers free bacon with their purchases.
• “A Side of Bacon” will additionally span out-of-home, social media and creator partnerships. The effort marks an extension of Oscar Mayer’s “Keep it Oscar” platform and follows a string of creative swings from both the Kraft Heinz brand and Mint Mobile this year.

Dive Insight:

Oscar Mayer is on a mission to prove that bacon is a necessary accessory to any purchase with its “A Side of Bacon” campaign, starting first with a partnership with Mint Mobile to offer those who buy into the wireless service a free side of bacon. The move brings together two brands that have both sought to capture the essence of disruptive marketing this year through moves like Mint’s generative artificial intelligence-supported commercial and Oscar Mayer’s transformation of its iconic Wienermobile into a Las Vegas wedding chapel.

Kicking off the campaign is a 15-second spot starring Reynolds, who is often a focal point in Mint’s ads. The spot begins with Reynolds introducing a new deal for consumers allowing them to get three months of premium wireless service for free with the purchase of any three-month plan, noting that it’s a “great way to save clams,” cheddar and bread, before settling on bacon, at which point Oscar Mayer branding prompts the additional free bacon offer to those who visit a dedicated microsite.

Consumers are encouraged to learn more about the push by visiting a separate microsite or by following Oscar Mayer and Mint Mobile on Instagram. The “A Side of Bacon” campaign was developed by Johannes Leonardo with Starcom’s P57 on U.S. media and Zeno Group on public relations and creator activations.

Along with the Mint Mobile tie-up, Oscar Mayer has partnered with local businesses across Atlanta, New York City and Florida to give consumers free bacon when they make a purchase from establishments spanning a tattoo parlor, scuba diving facility, dental office and more, per details shared with Marketing Dive. In New York, businesses like Leisure Centre Vintage Clothing, Grandview Tattoos and European Wax Center will hand out ready-to-eat bacon to consumers who make a purchase. Additionally, all partner locations will feature campaign creative inclusive of a QR code that allows customers to add Oscar Mayer bacon to their carts for their in-store purchases.

The latest campaign from Oscar Mayer marks an extension of its “Keep it Oscar” brand platform, which it launched in 2021 in a push to emphasize unity and lighthearted fun. Other activations that have come from the platform this year — in addition to its make-shift Vegas wedding chapel — have included the rebranding of its Wienermobile to become the Frankmobile, the first such change for the vehicle since its 1936 debut.