Social media marketing has changed a lot since the early days back in 2006 when candy-maker Mentos became a viral hit. But Mentos is going with the flow and mastering new techniques to stay top of mind, as reported by Advertising Age.
If you’ve been asleep in a cave for four years, what you missed was the viral-video sensation that began when a couple of goofy guys started dropping Mentos candies into two-liter bottles of Diet Coke. Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz posted videos of the explosive results on YouTube and a star performance was born.
Coca-Cola didn’t rush to applaud, but Perfetti Van Melle, the Italian-based candy company that makes Mentos, did. They invited the mad scientist duo to perform and create Mentos-Diet Coke fountains.
Stage two came last year, when Perfetti Van Melle built a Facebook presence. By yearend it had gained half a million followers – almost as many as Diet Coke!
Even more interesting, the company does little traditional advertising and built its following almost entirely through social media such as Facebook. Sales have responded, up 6% to $72.8 million for the 52 weeks ending Nov. 28, according to SymphonyIRI data for food, drug and mass outlets excluding Walmart and convenience stores.
In the past four-plus years, more than 150 million people have seen videos of Grobe and Voltz’s sugar-fueled carbonated cola fountains. The pair also now make rocket cars propelled by Mentos and Coke Zero. The rocket cars were featured on the Facebook page of Mentos U.S., in People magazine and made the Letterman show, where David Letterman drove a Mentos-and-Coke-Zero-propelled car down 53rd Street.
