ENTENMANN'S: SCORING A DOUBLE-DIGIT SALES INCREASE WITH GAMIFICATION AND GOOD TIMES

Bringing a new generation to the table, one game at a time

Our Sectors

Consumer Goods

Client

Entenmann's

Solutions

Sales Promotions

Location

United States

Entenmann's advertisement featuring a cartoonish chocolate donut character with a guitar

Overview

For over 125 years, Entenmann’s has been creating family traditions with their baked treats, which have held a beloved place at kitchen tables across generations. With a loyal customer base primarily consisting of Gen X women buying for their partners and families, the brand wanted to reward their biggest brand fans – while also attracting millennials who were no longer under their parents’ roofs.

The result was a six-week promotion built around tiered rewards and a custom basketball-themed game: a way to counter the usual January sales dip while putting Entenmann's in front of a new generation of shoppers, all delivered through TLC.

The Challenge

January was typically a lower sales month for Entenmann’s, with New Year's resolutions pushing sweet treats off shopping lists. They saw an opportunity to counter that dip by reaching a new audience – and with little indulgences gaining popularity with millennials, it was the ideal moment to make a play for their attention.

That meant showing up where this audience already spent their time: on mobile and social media, with a reward valuable enough to earn their attention without raising Entenmann’s costs.

Why TLC

Running this many moving parts at once, from national retail sell-in to two separate reward mechanics, meant Entenmann's wanted everything handled by a single team rather than several vendors.

TLC managed both elements – an “everyone wins” reward track, including receipt validation, and a separate sweepstakes – from start to finish, all under one roof.

The TLC Approach

TLC offered a range of rewards to engage Entenmann’s target audience while showing appreciation for their existing customers. Customers who bought four promotionally marked boxes of Rich Frosted Donuts could choose between a National Days Out Pass for family activities like bowling and mini golf, a $20 live event credit, or a free Fandango movie rental, pulling from TLC's national network so the rewards felt local wherever shoppers were based.

To build buzz with younger shoppers, we layered in a custom sweepstakes game called “Pop'ems Shots” – a 30-second basketball challenge built around Entenmann's Pop'ems, giving players a chance to win a trip for four to Orlando.

Graphics of Entenmann's mobile basketball game

The Results

Entenmann's saw a 13% sales increase during the promotional period, reversing their historically negative January sales trend. Pop'ems Shots was played over 150,000 times, and the brand's most popular social post about the promotion reached over 3 million people – a new record for Entenmann's.

74% of customers said the offer influenced their purchase, 91% felt the rewards fit the brand well, and 92% said they'd take part in a similar promotion again. Most participants who played the game also shared the experience on social media, driving brand exposure and giving Entenmann’s valuable UGC.

150K+

game plays

of the Pop'ems Shots sweepstakes game.

74%

influenced to purchase

Entenmann's products during the promotion.

3M+

reached

with top performing social post.

Hear directly from the client

“TLC has been an excellent partner to work with to execute strategic shopper marketing overlays to achieve brand and sales objectives. The entire TLC team have been great to work with: flexible with timelines, accommodating on last-minute changes, and has provided quick turnaround on campaign materials. In addition to being very helpful and supportive, they are a pleasure to work with. They always engage in consistent communication, provide clear direction, and are happy to help, which makes it easy for me to trust them with executing the campaign seamlessly.”

Marketing Director, Entenmann's

Bimbo Bakeries USA