How could a brand rise above commercial clutter during Q4 2020, and win the share game when they are out spent two to one?

We needed a trick to stand out in this highly competitive impulse category. We identified ad retention as the KPI to drive sales.

Bite Size Media containing Mars integrations appeared as pod-busters on FX, FXX and Freeform disrupting the traditional linear viewing experience, as well as streaming within the larger non-branded series on Hulu, in addition to the social channels of ABC and Freeform.

Production of the films offered a platform for diverse rising creators with something to say. Produced with limited resources but expressing big ideas, the ambitious films lay the groundwork to expand these concepts to features and open doors to promising new voices.

Bite Size Media integrated Mars into two-minute Halloween films and two-minute Holiday comedies.

Each short film opens with an intro from the respective brand (M&Ms, Twix) and then hooks the audience in two minutes, taking them on either a bone chilling fright or a whimsical Christmas ride.

The pallet was broad - embracing supernatural scare, horror comedy, rom-com and screwball comedy. The unified intent was first and foremost to entertain.

The achieved goal was to resonate with viewers long after the advertising disappeared, leaving them wanting more.

These films provided, during this unprecedented time of COVID-19, family-friendly entertainment which engaged an audience with the brand outside of but parallel to traditional forms of consumption such as trick-or-treating or holiday snacking.

Produced with the focused goal of engaging mothers by offering them beloved halloween scares and Christmas screwball comedies.

We hired promising emerging diverse and under-represented filmmakers to write, direct and produce the shorts. They became a creative opportunity to grab attention across the networks with content that was not derivative of their current IP or shows - truly original.

Utilizing 41 pod-busters in FX, FXX and FreeForm broadcast airtime plus social platforms was highly effective in gaining visibility for the up-and-coming filmmakers.

While production already had several films completed pre-pandemic, others were completed in the Fall of 2020 in service of the brand's latest packaging and candy flavors. These films were shot under strict COVID-19 testing and safety protocols including remote video village for the client.

Product was integrated into three narratives. Title sponsorship across nine films in total.

The Halloween films aired on linear broadcast in October 2020 leading up to Halloween and the Holiday shorts were released leading up to Christmas.

They aired on FX, FXX, or Freeform, and later were released digitally on social media platforms, YouTube, and as episodes in the larger Bite Size series on Hulu.

Bite Size Halloween shorts averaged 3.2 million TV impressions per film and aired during popular content such as The Simpsons, Get Out and A Quiet Place.

People loved the Halloween films, expressing a 96% positive sentiment on social.

The shorts also far exceeded the reach and impressions goal on social media.

Four viral YouTube influencers posted reaction videos, garnering upwards of an additional 6 million views for our content. In general, audiences felt that Bite Size Media succeeded with short films where others had failed.

The series has successfully impacted the filmmakers by affording them wide visibility of their work and development of their future projects.