In the early 1990s, Oh Henry! launched an iconic campaign that cemented the brand as a go-to hunger solution for young Canadians. But 20+ years later the majority (65%) of our national sales volume was from those loyalists, now 45+ years old. Oh Henry!’s 35-and-under household penetration was 1.2, compared to category leader Snickers at 1.6 (2016, 2017)

To grow share, we had to recruit a new generation of 20–35 loyalists who preferred Snickers.

Heading into 2018, cannabis legalization was top of mind in Canadian culture. 33% of millennials had used cannabis. 18% used weekly. 23% planned on increasing their consumption following legalization. By tapping into cannabis culture, we knew we could connect with our millennial target.

KPIs were established to measure success:

+0.2 pts household penetration among millenials in 2018

17M earned impressions from traditional, cannabis-specific and/or social media

70% positive/neutral consumer sentiment

The Oh Henry! 4:25 bar was specially formulated for the hunger that hits 5 minutes after 4:20 (4:20 = code for marijuana use).

We stripped the original bar of chocolate, adding 25% more peanuts for 7g of protein. To nod to cannabis on shelves, we changed Oh Henry!’s trademark yellow packaging green, and copy was infused with insider slang (“Our dankest ingredients yet”).

On 4/25/2018, we previewed the bar at a branded dispensary, steps from existing cannabis dispensaries. YouTube legends Epic Meal Time created a 100lb 4:25 bar for the crowd.

We also unveiled a mobile 4:25 dispensary at the 2018 Global Marijuana March, distributing 15,000 bars to an extremely hungry audience at 4:25PM.

1M bars were then rolled out across Canada with a national campaign. Paid content shot at both activations went live the morning after legalization became official.

The Oh Henry! target is Canadian millennials, skewing male, aged 20–35. They have a teen attitude in an adult’s body. Spurred by a primal instinct, their mentality makes them seek whatever their body (not brain) says it needs. It’s why they seek out sweet and salty snacks instead of a healthier alternative to curb their hunger. When they’re hungry it’s all they can think about. The Oh Henry! 4:25 target expanded the audience to include cannabis-neutral and cannabis-friendly millennials.

Oh Henry! 4:25 set out to intercept the ritual of getting high. To achieve this, the communications principle of “appearing when and where intense hunger strikes” was implemented to reach the target in moments where they’d be most receptive. This directly influenced our go-to-market approach, including the dispensary on 4/25, appearing at 4:25 pm at the Marijuana March, and releasing content a day after the legalization announcement.

April 25 - May 5: Bar launch Toronto @ 4:25 ‘Dispensary’

The space was designed to feel like a real marijuana dispensary, with bars on display in glass jars. YouTube legends Epic Meal Time [EMT] helped launched the dispensary, creating a 100lb 4:25 bar for fans. Targeted OOH communicated when 4:25 would be available nationally.

May 3rd - Toronto Global Marijuana March

We unveiled a mobile version of the dispensary at exactly 4:25 pm to distribute 15,000 bars.

June 22 - September - National Paid Social + OLV:

Media driving purchase of 1M bars across Canada went live the day after legalization officially passed. OLV/social content was split between consumer engagement footage and awareness-building product education videos.

April - May - EMT National Branded Content

These staples of stoner culture created a 7 minute video documenting the creation of a 100lb 4:25 bar, amplified on

social.

Oh Henry! 4:25 surpassed all benchmarks:

1M bars sold out, with boxes going on ebay for up to 3x retail price

69+ million earned media impressions (in a country of ~35M)

+0.4 pts millennial household penetration. During this period, Snickers millennial penetration decreased by 0.3 pts

#1 on /r/funny (a popular Subreddit with 20 million subscribers, notorious for hating ads)

Improved Brand Health: parent brand improved perceived meaning (+6 points) and differentiation (+12) among those aware of the 4:25 bar vs. total population

Growth across the entire portfolio:Regular Single Bar +1%, Peanut Butter Single Bar: +5%

Online Consumer Sentiment 93% positive/neutral sentiment

400+ cannabis community Instagram photos depicting Oh Henry! 4:25 as a literal part of their personal 4:20 ritual