Overview
Rovio, the developer behind the Angry Birds game franchise, produced an animated promotional poster that engaged with a contemporary pop culture event: a public dispute involving singer Kelly Clarkson. This marketing initiative featured established Angry Birds characters within a context directly referencing social media discussions surrounding the feud.
Research Context
The marketing team's strategy involved leveraging current events to generate publicity for the Angry Birds brand. The specific event targeted was a widely reported public dispute concerning Kelly Clarkson. This approach sought to capitalize on the immediacy and high visibility of online conversations.
Approach
The marketing action involved the creation of an animated poster design. This design incorporated two key elements:
- An existing red Angry Bird character, identifiable from the game series.
- A yellow bird character, designed to evoke comparisons to a canary. This visual choice directly addressed comments circulating on social media that had linked the celebrity dispute to the phrase, "eat a canary."
The poster depicted the red Angry Bird character in close proximity to the yellow bird. The animated element of the design featured the yellow bird, suggestive of a canary, opening its beak. The accompanying text on the poster, presented as a speech bubble, stated, "We don't eat canaries over here." This statement directly alluded to the aforementioned social media commentary.
Findings
The marketing team's execution resulted in an animated poster design that:
- Integrated established brand characters (red Angry Bird).
- Introduced a new character type (yellow bird resembling a canary) specifically for the campaign.
- Directly referenced a specific phrase ("eat a canary") that had emerged from public discourse surrounding the Kelly Clarkson feud.
- Utilized a speech bubble to convey a message that positioned the Angry Birds brand in relation to the popular culture narrative, specifically stating, "We don't eat canaries over here."
Why This Matters
This marketing approach demonstrates a method for brands to participate in real-time cultural conversations. By creating content that directly references trending topics, the Angry Birds marketing team aimed to maintain brand relevance and visibility within a fast-paced media environment.