Oscar Mayer was number one in packaged meats, but was losing share in hot dogs during the summer to competitors who made themselves synonymous with industry tropes. But as America, and our target audience, becomes more diverse, we had the opportunity to liberate hot dogs from expected tropes by celebrating the inventive and surprising ways that people should enjoy hot dogs. Our objective was to make our brand an iconic part of American summer culture and garner PR by celebrating our hot dogs in the brand’s signature, wonderfully odd way.

With limited budget, sponsoring a big summer tentpole event like our competitors wasn't an option. So we chose to hijack the most universal symbol of American summer to make the image of Oscar Mayer stick in people's minds and travel all summer long - the frozen popsicle. In partnership with Popbar, we produced the Cold Dog and distributed them to the

Everything started with our outspoken community of hot dog lovers. We instigated debate among Oscar Mayer’s passionate Social followers, giving them the direct power to decide if our polarizing inventions were “Stupid or Genius.” From a wiener rake to wiener cake, each idea was a lightning rod for social conversation, bringing out passionate responses from our community. During the course of those debates, one invention resonated – hot dog fans told us it was so crazy and so divisive, we knew we needed to take it to the next level.

Enter the Cold Dog, the first-ever hot dog flavored frozen popsicle. While the idea of a hot dog-flavored treat was polarizing, tens of thousands of fans relished the idea of combining two iconic American foods in such a wonderfully odd way, crowning the idea “genius.” The idea was to unveil this deliciously controversial treat in a way that would put Oscar

When the hot dog community spoke loudly in late June 2022, it was time to act on this ‘genius’ idea. We quickly partnered with Popbar, a premium frozen dessert company known in the States for gelato on-a-stick. Together Oscr Mayer invented the Cold Dog, boasting refreshing, smokey umami notes of Oscar Mayer’s wiener, all topped with a signature chocolate swirl resembling “mustard.”

Less than two months later, the Cold Dog was unveiled to the American public. We made it available at select Popbar locations nationwide, from Atlanta and New Orleans to Long Beach and New York City. But we didn’t stop there. The brand’s iconic Wienermobile, a famous hot dog on wheels, went on an East Coast road trip to surprise even more people with our delightfully polarizing creation. Brand ambassadors, called ‘Hotdoggers,’ engaged directly with hot dog fans, stirring on-the-ground debate as people tried the Cold Dog for themselves.

When the hot dog community spoke loudly in late June 2022, it was time to act on this ‘genius’ idea. We quickly partnered with Popbar, a premium frozen dessert company known in the States for gelato on-a-stick. Together Oscr Mayer invented the Cold Dog, boasting refreshing, smokey umami notes of Oscar Mayer’s wiener, all topped with a signature chocolate swirl resembling “mustard.”

Less than two months later, the Cold Dog was unveiled to the American public. We made it available at select Popbar locations nationwide, from Atlanta and New Orleans to Long Beach and New York City. But we didn’t stop there. The brand’s iconic Wienermobile, a famous hot dog on wheels, went on an East Coast road trip to surprise even more people with our delightfully polarizing creation. Brand ambassadors, called ‘Hotdoggers,’ engaged directly with hot dog fans, stirring on-the-ground debate as people tried the Cold Dog for themselves.

Oscar Mayer’s Cold Dog became the visual icon of summer.

- The Cold Dog image garnered 1.4B+ PR impressions and was shared by 1,869 media outlets including major news channels, lifestyle publications and food sites

- It spread on social media, driving a +25% increase in Oscar Mayer brand mentions vs the median of the prior 24 months due to all the photos shared

- The visual stuck in people’s minds at the shelf. Sales grew +6.2% vs YA, Velocity +7% vs YA and there was an increase of 19.5% more hot dogs per trip during campaign