Hot Pockets have been around for a long time – invented in the 70s and on shelves in the 80s. They may be frozen, but their current marketing is pretty darn fresh. In case you have been living under a rock, it’s my advertising pleasure to tell you that Snoop Dogg has remade his huge hit “Drop it Like It’s Hot” into “Pocket Like It’s Hot”:
One might think this is the coolest thing to happen to Hot Pockets, those “microwaveable turnovers generally containing one or more types of cheese, meat, or vegetables.” (Source: Wikipedia) It certainly is a cool advertising move by the brand – for which I’m sure they paid handsomely – which includes the Snoop-signature lyric: “So don’t change the dizzle, turn it up a lizzle, Get some cheesy drizzle dripping on my shizzle.”
But several years back, an unpaid viral movement got the band some visibility beyond the frozen food aisle that may have influenced Snoop: comedian Jim Gaffigan created an entire 5-minute bit around Hot Pockets that’s been seen on television and shared over-and-over-again on YouTube.
Is Gaffigan’s bit entirely flattering to the brand? Um, no. However, it taps into the psyche of why we eat these less-than-stellar treats. More importantly, Gaffigan got people talking about Hot Pockets way more than their old ads ever did:
What did people say about Gaffigan’s act? While some espoused the evils of Hot Pockets, but many were given license to admit their fondness for the frozen “food” – just like Gaffigan, they know it’s not good for them (or even good in general), but there is something comforting and possibly addictive about Hot Pockets.
Gaffigan made Hot Pockets human. Will Snoop make them cool?
~ @AdvertGirl
