Ferrero woos youth with Tic Tac ads and Nutella samples requested via voice technology

Starting this week, in honor of Pancake Tuesday, US consumers can request a sample of Nutella by asking their Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to ‘send me a sample.’

They must first load the Send Me A Sample (SMAS) app to their voice assistant and register online. Then they can simply say, “Send me a sample of Nutella,” to receive a free sample at their doorstep, while supplies last.

Ferrero also works with SMAS to supply Butterfinger samples in the US.

“Voice is growing in importance,”​ Rachel Tetreault, Ferrero USA’s head of Ecommerce, told ConfectioneryNews.

“Research shows that in five years, up to 50% of searches will be made through platforms like Amazon Alexa and Google Home. We wanted to test in this growing channel, and Send Me A Sample is the perfect partner for that,”​ she said.

Nutella is one of the first brands to use this technology. A few prominent chain restaurants offer delivery through voice assistants in the US, for example.

“Ultimately, Ferrero's goal across brands is to drive sales online and off by engaging consumers wherever they are now and in the future. We’re always looking for the next opportunity to reach current and new consumers,” ​added Tetreault.

Turning on the TV

In the US, Tic Tac Gum aired the first of two new commercials Monday in what Ferrero calls a ‘whimsical’ and ‘playful’ style.

Both commercials show a typical American scene of a man and a woman sitting on a couch, but in brightly colored spaces of all blue for Freshmint​ or all red for Cool Watermelon​.

They end with the campaign’s motto: ‘Refreshing, Delicious, Fun.’

The 15-second spots evoke a world without boundaries, where watermelons lift a couple into the sky like a bunch of balloons. The confectioner said the concept aims to focus on sharing, ‘the smallest act of human connection,’ which has long been a theme for Tic Tac.

Laundry Service, which works with clients such as Muscle Milk and Hennessy, also created four six-second bumpers for each of the four Tic Tac Gum flavors, including Cool Tropical and Spearmint.

The Freshmint commercial started airing on cable stations with notable audiences of Ferrero's specific target of 15- to 25-year-olds. Stations include Comedy Central, ESPN, FX, MTV, the CW and Fox.

To further target millennials and Gen-Z consumers, the marketing push also includes three sponsored Instagram stories and Facebook posts.

"Leveraging Instagram allows us to create impactful bite-sized messages that we can quickly get to our target audience in a platform where we know they are spending time,"​ Felipe Riera Michelotti, VP of marketing at Tic Tac North America for Ferrero USA told ConfectioneryNews.