On Brand Episode 6: Jimmy Fallon Went Undercover and the Pillsbury Doughboy Popped By
A focus group was infiltrated by a mysterious bearded man, and we all learned the Pillsbury Doughboy has a name. Find out who won the challenge here.
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The October 17 episode of On Brand With Jimmy Fallon gave the eight remaining competitors their coziest challenge yet: creating an activation around the legendary Pillsbury Doughboy.
As Jimmy Fallon himself notes, the beloved, round-bellied mascot is a "pop culture icon" who has been delighting families with his tasty treats for 60 years. And On Brand viewers got an adorable reminder when the mascot — whose name is actually Poppin' Fresh, though it's fine to call him the Dough Boy — waddled his way down a red carpet to meet the contestants.
Doug Martin, Chief Marketing Officer for General Mills, told the competitors that they're looking to update the Dough Boy's image with a campaign, tagline and interactive experience, and gave the contestants an hour to come up with their pitches (in accordance with a strict 42-page book of guidelines specifying how he can and cannot be used).
Find out what everyone came up with, and who won On Brand Episode 6's challenge, below.
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On Brand contestants pitched Pillsbury everything from rap anthems to food trucks
Elijah Bennett's pitch was definitely of-the-moment, imagining Poppin' Fresh as a rapper with tracks like "Hoo Hoo 2U" and "In The Oven." His album release party captured the family-friendly event vibe that Martin was looking for, even if it didn't feel very Pillsbury.
Ryan Winn's tagline, "Life Rolls, Keep Doughing" put a positive spin on everyday stress, but his idea of a pop-up with games like corn hole failed to incorporate the mascot — an essential part of the assignment's brief. "For me was a zag," said Martin. The roller blading was a nice touch, though.
Pyper Bleu recalled the experience of making Pillsbury products with her family on Thanksgiving, when her father was away at work and her grandmother, who didn't speak English, needed a recipe they could all prep together. Jumping off from her tagline, "Home is where the Dough Boy is," she imagined an activation that would allow families to visit the Dough Boy's house, further bringing it to life through online house tours and "day in the life" content. "So fun, I wanna go," said On Brand CMO Bozoma Saint John.
Azhelle Wade's tagline, "When the world starts to crumble, grab a plate," was clever, but not appropriate for the always-positive Poppin Fresh, while Mahiri Takai's idea of an all-you-can-grab factory experience sounded like a strong start.
Lauren Karwoski's pitch for a "love at first bite" campaign held no appeal for families, but everyone liked Sabrina Burke's idea of food trucks representing cuisines from different cultures.
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Finally, frontrunner Bianca took the group through Pillsbury's sensory wonders: the look of the browning cookies, the sound of the "pop," the feel of the canister, the aroma of baking, and of course, the taste. She envisioned a dome (or Dough'mm) with ASMR-style experiences that evoke the Dough Boy's world.
Pyper won the Pillsbury account and got to see it come to life
Pyper's and Bianca's ideas were chosen for test runs at the South Street Seaport in New York City. Pyper's team of Mahiri, Sabrina, and Azhelle constructed a model of the Dough Boy's front yard and kitchenette, complete with a coloring book of recipes and themed games. Bianca and team members Elijah, Ryan, and Lauren's domes had iPads preloaded with ASMR content, and dough-like relaxing foam to play with.
The only issue? The clear domes trapped sunlight to create heat pockets that melted the cookie-scented candles, and made anybody who stepped inside sweat. Portable AC units were brought in to fix the problem, though at first, Bianca's very young teammates didn't know which end went inside the dome and which was for exhaust. Luckily, they figured it out in time to entertain guests.
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Then came the On Brand agency's first-ever focus group, which was slightly derailed by co-host Jimmy Fallon disguising himself as a bearded biker and asking distracting questions. “I got a little carried away,” he admitted later to a mildly frustrated Saint John.
The pitch battle was fierce and the competition was close — but Pyper Bleu made an effective argument that parents would find her activation more family-friendly, because it didn't thrust iPads in kids' hands. "It is so difficult to get your child to use their imagination these days," she said, and Saint John called it a "good argument."
And ultimately, Pyper landed the Pillsbury account — and months later, she got to see how her idea grew into an AR mobile experience built by the company.
Who went home in On Brand Episode 6?
No one! But that all changes in a big way next week.
Catch the next episode of On Brand With Jimmy Fallon on Friday, October 24 at 8/7c on NBC!
