Steffan Postaer/Leo Burnett/Exec. Creative Dir.Mark Faulkner/Leo Burnett/Exec. Creative Dir.Nick Fantl/Leo Burnett/Art DirectorTom Wilson/Leo Burnett/CopywriterJamie King/Leo Burnett/Account Director The goal of the integrated “Sindy” effort was to convey the bold heat of Cinnamon Altoids in a manner that generated word of mouth advocacy for the product, and icon status for its trademark beauty. The goal of the integrated “Sindy” effort was to convey the bold heat of Cinnamon Altoids in a manner that generated word of mouth advocacy for the product, and icon status for its trademark beauty.Starcom targeted “urban hipsters”, who relate to their friends and peers through hot and risqué trends, by personifying these traits with Sindy’s sinful attitude.Smoking OutdoorIn addition to billboards in and around sexy fashion outdoor, the brand utilized innovative OOH to spark consumer curiousity. In Altoids’ top markets, the team created fake “Freezee Pop” billboards that appeared to melt in the presence of Sindy billboards. In Chicago, Sindy was branded onto a 120-foot smokestack near a popular movie theater in one of the city’s hottest and happening neighborhoods.Sultry PrintThe Cinnamon Altoids creative ran in magazines opposite text that got readers hot and bothered. Sindy turned heads of men and women alike in magazines like Cosmopolitan, Details, GQ, Vanity Fair and Maxim.Scorching PostcardsSticker postcards were viewed as a perfect medium to generate viral a pass-along of Sindy’s message. Starcom worked with the creative team to develop stickers that left a burn mark; when the sticker is peeled off the card, only a brazen silhouette of Sindy remains.Hot AlternativesThe consumer’s impression of the Cinnamon experience was central to the media plan. In bars, Sindy could be found on matchboxes that warned consumers: “Careful, You Might Get Burned.” In alternative newspaper classifieds, Sindy could be found looking for a “cold and lonely” companion. Signature Sindy Zippo lighters were also created for collectable value and distributed to influential consumers in the art and fashion communities. The core vision for the Cinnamon Altoids campaign was Sindy, a devilishly hot, retro pin-up girl. The goal of the Sindy concept was to dramatize the curiously strong heat of Altoids’ Cinnamon variety. The Starcom media team took Sindy a step further by consciously positioning her image in an environment capable of embodying Cinnamon’s heat. Altoids main competitors, Tic-Tac and Certs, had double the media budgets of Altoids and the broad-reach of TV ads. However, Altoids research indicated that consumers try new products based on word of mouth and the advice of friends. Starcom used Altoids limited media budget to expand the creative concept. We couldn’t out spend competitors, but we could infiltrate the hip market by creating truly unique media experiences.

In the case of Cinnamon Altoids, the media defined the message. Starcom worked to place Sindy on “hot” media which would create talk-value and PR buzz beyond our competitions’ more traditional approaches.This combustible combination of a hot message and medium depicted cinnamon’s flavor and character in ways consumers hadn’t previously experienced.This growing consumer appeal for Cinnamon Altoids translated into scorching sales growth. In less than nine months, Sindy helped launch Altoids from the #3 to #1 share in the mint category.

The core vision for the Cinnamon Altoids campaign was Sindy, a devilishly hot, retro pin-up girl. The goal of the Sindy concept was to dramatize the curiously strong heat of Altoids’ Cinnamon variety. The Starcom media team took Sindy a step further by consciously positioning her image in an environment capable of embodying Cinnamon’s heat.