This week, brands capitalized on two smaller holidays with creative campaigns and activations to appeal to their target audience. Catch up on the latest news you may have missed in our Weekly Must Reads.

An Impossible Earth Day Campaign

In recognition of Earth Day over the weekend, Impossible Foods used viral tiny foods to promote their tiny carbon footprint. Their new campaign includes a series of videos on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter with creators using the brand’s Mini Impact Kitchen to create aesthetic miniature foods. Impossible Foods also ran a 1-inch by 1-inch ad in the New York Times, the smallest ad size the paper has available, that highlights how Impossible products produce far fewer carbon emissions than traditional meats.

2023 marks the fourth year Impossible Foods has launched environmentally-conscious campaigns for Earth Day. The new campaign also comes on the heels of record growth in 2022, including more than a 50% increase in sales. Dig into more details about Impossible’s strategy here: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/impossible-foods-mini-cooking-earth-day/648167/

American Eagle’s Secondhand Store

Retailer American Eagle is tapping into another trending topic for Earth Day. The brand partnered with online consignment store thredUP to launch RE/AE, a branded resale shop that sells vintage and secondhand American Eagle clothing. The items include all-gender styles from as early as the 80s, with all pieces priced at $40 or less. To promote the store, American Eagle also worked with Snapchat to create a shoppable AR lens that allows consumers to try out styles from the vintage collection.

Wearing sustainable clothing and shopping secondhand has become a focus for many younger consumers. According to American Eagle, 83% of Gen Z have shopped or are open to shopping secondhand apparel. Find out more about American Eagle’s focus on sustainability and connecting with younger audiences here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230413005504/en/American-Eagle-Celebrates-Earth-Day-With-the-Unveiling-of-REAE-a-Digital-Resale-Shop-Enabled-by-thredUP%E2%80%99s-Resale-as-a-Service%C2%AE

Wingstop Launches Their Own Hot Box

Alternatively, Wingstop chose to celebrate the other big holiday last week. In honor of 4/20, the wing chain launched the Wingstop Hot Box, which includes a choice of several spicy chicken options, fries covered in ranch and a drink. The promotion comes from Wingstop’s appropriately named “Highspitality” team, and each version of the meal has its own pointed name, such as “The Giggler,” and “The Cotton-Mouthed Joe.”

Wingstop’s CEO acknowledged that the brand knows its audience loves to celebrate the high holiday. The Wingstop Hot Box was designed to help “accompany or enhance fans’ holiday celebrations.” Learn more about the limited time promotion here: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-wingstop-hot-box-takes-420-munchies-to-new-highs-301801782.html

BIC Sends Fans on a Scavenger Hunt

Playing on their self-proclaimed status as the “most borrowed lighter,” BIC sent smokers on a virtual 4/20 scavenger hunt. To launch the hunt, brand partner Snoop Dogg lends his BIC lighter to Willie Nelson, who subsequently loses somewhere across the US. Using an interactive digital map, fans could search for the lost lighter in towns like High Rolls, New Mexico and Stoneville, North Carolina. Once they found it (in Weed, California), they could enter to win exclusive BIC merchandise signed by Snoop, Nelson and Martha Stewart.

In addition to a commercial that launched the campaign, BIC also used out-of-home ads in the featured towns and other major cities, as well as social posts from their celebrity partners to promote the scavenger hunt. Watch the ads and check out more details here: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/bic-blazes-420-campaign-virtual-scavenger-hunt/648163/