The Little Debbie Cupcake Car

Sometimes it can seem like all the buzz around social media is all talk and little action. So when Luckie helped rack up more than 350,000 Facebook fans for Little Debbie in less than a week and got the attention of Adweek, we thought you might be interested in how we did it.

It began with last month’s unveiling of the Little Debbie Chocolate Cupcake, expected to be the 50-year-old brand’s biggest product launch ever.

To help make the launch a suitably huge success, we created the Little Debbie Share-a-Thon, a cross-country tour featuring free samples and the unforgettable Cupcake Cars — four custom-designed, squiggle-topped Smart Cars destined to get drivers drooling nationwide.

Then we created a rockin’ giveaway, with prizes including a year’s supply of cupcakes and even one of the coveted Cupcake Cars. Next, we brought it all to life through a new microsite and a wide range of social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

All that was left was some good old advertising — specifically an intense Facebook ad initiative that used the social network’s most cutting-edge placements to generate 210,000 new fans in 24 hours and 169,000 more through organic growth in the days ahead.

Best of all, the Share-a-Thon is just getting going, so if you’re interested in following the action, here are a few links to check out:

LittleDebbieCupcakes.com
Facebook.com/LittleDebbie
Youtube.com/TheRealLittleDebbie
Twitter.com/CupcakeCar
To see what other folks have to say about the campaign, you might want to give some of these a read:

Adweek: “Success factors for brands on Facebook”
Adrants.com: “Little Debbie: Bringing Creme-Filled Goodness to a Suburb Near You!”
Momentum Australia: “Little Debbie Hits The Road, Giving Away Cars and Cupcakes”
And of course, if you want to find out how Luckie can help you bake up a sweet social media initiative, drop a line to Social Media Strategist David Griner by e-mail or on Twitter.

Each month David Stutts looks at the emerging trends and stories in the industries of Luckie’s major clients. These provide insights of interest to even those outside of the particular businesses. Read below for the headline stories in each report and download the reports for free by clicking on the title boxes.

Headlines from the October TrendTracker Report:

·Starbucks Debuts iPhone App, Testing Mobile Payment
·Fifth Third Bundles ID Theft & Credit Monitoring
·Firstbank Hides Free Checking, Sorta
·Credit Union Appeals To Youth With Web, Mobile Plan
·Vantage Credit Union Is First To Tap Twitter For Transactional Banking
·Chase Effort Highlights New Small Business Cards
·The Future Of Targeting Gen Y With P2P Payments
·Visa Launches Educational Video Game
·Banking Customers Are Waiting

·Perky Jerky: The Wide-Awake Meat Treat
·Sakes If Potato Chips Thriving In Recession
·Hostess Dangles $1M In Halloween Promotion
·Vitaminwater Enlists Fans In Creating New Flavor
·Inspiring Random Acts Of Kindness
·Doritos Ad Contest Raises The Stakes To $5 Million
·Fullbar Serves Up Non-Surgical Weight Loss
·New Wheaties Fuel Targets Athletic Men
·Doritos Returns With An Insane Follow-Up To Hotel 626

·Augmented Reality App Helps Road Warriors Find A Place To Work
·Niche Price Comparison Meets Analysis
·A Telecom That Pay You Back – Stealthily
·Robo.To Asks Users To Update Themselves With Video
·Verizon Wireless, MTV Team On Vampire Series
·It’ll Keep You Warm And Charge Your Cell Phone
·Sprint Launches “Viral” Videos
·Nokia Invites Users To Create Their Own Widget
·Verizon Addresses Digital Dating Abuse With Teens

·Green London Gives Tourists A Different City View
·Iowa Town “Arrests” Traveler, Offers Free Meals And Lodging
·Wisconsin Tourism Promotes Smaller Breweries
·Disney Offers Free Entry To 1 Million Volunteers
·Motel 6 Offers Free Rooms To Three Rock Bands
·Universal Lifts The Veil On Harry Potter Park
·Communal Pathways Power OpenStreetMaps
·HotelsByMe Launches Location-Based App To Help Travelers
·Brands To Take Turns Running Airport Store

David Stutts is Luckie’s VP/Director of Brand Planning. For a free subscription to Trend Trackers — or David’s other monthly report, Generational News and Views — just drop him an e-mail.

Each month, David Stutts takes a look at news and perspectives on Gen Y, Gen X and Baby Boomers. It’s free to download and packed with great info. Just click here to download the PDF.

Headlines from this month’s issue:

· The Beatles: Rock Band Is About To Create Another Revolution
· Cougars Of America Convene
· In Europe, “Greycationers” Seek Local Thrills
· Retailers Prep For Aging Boomers
· Over Woodstocked

· Crayola Goes Back To School With #GNO
· Indie-Rock Coloring Book Appeals To Many Ages
· Bringing Back The ‘80s
· Pepsi Program Targets African-American Moms

· HP Asks Gen Y To “Declare Yourself”
· BrazenCareerist.com – LinkedIn For Gen Y
· You Will Be Surprised By Y
· Same As It Ever Was. Parents Really No Sure What Their Teens Are Doing
· For Today’s Teens, A Political Web Site Of Their Own

David Stutts is Luckie’s VP/Director of Brand Planning. For a free subscription to Generational News and Views — or David’s other monthly report, Trend Trackers — just drop him an e-mail.