Every summer, social media platforms are flooded with photos of legs set against beautiful bodies of water and scenic landscapes. The viral trend known as ‘Hot Dogs or Legs’ has taken the internet by storm, amassing over 9.1 billion views on TikTok alone.
The trend plays on the optical illusion of legs resembling hot dogs, leaving viewers puzzled: are they looking at hot dogs or actual legs?
Now, the brand is capitalizing on the phenomenon by permanently associating these idyllic photos with their famous hot dogs through the launch of the ‘#HotDogsForLegs’ campaign.
Developed by Johannes Leonardo, the ‘Hot Dog Legs’ campaign features striking visuals of real hot dogs shared across social media and out-of-home locations, including Huntington Beach, Los Angeles, Chicago, and the Chicago lakefront. The campaign extends further with mobile boat billboards cruising the coasts of Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
Nathan Frank, the group creative director at Johannes Leonardo, explains that the campaign aims to settle the long-standing debate of ‘Hot Dogs or Legs’ by firmly associating the visual phenomenon with Oscar Mayer. “For more than a decade, every summer, legs that look suspiciously like hot hot dogs have shown up on everybody’s social feed, obscuring otherwise picturesque views. This summer, Oscar Mayer is proving once and for all that Hot Dog Legs will eternally be considered Oscar Mayer.”
Kelsey Rice, associate director of Oscar Mayer brand communications, expressed excitement about giving the ‘#HotDogsOrLegs’ debate the attention it deserves. The campaign aligns with the brand’s ‘Keep it Oscar’ program and serves as a fun and engaging way to celebrate the resemblance between legs and Oscar Mayer’s delicious hot dogs.
Later in the month, Oscar Mayer plans to incorporate additional user-generated content by showcasing real imagery of fans’ own ‘hot dog legs’ found on social media. The campaign playfully asserts that all hot dog legs are, in fact, Oscar Mayer legs this summer.
Through this creative and light-hearted campaign, Oscar Mayer is making sure that this summer, whenever people see legs resembling hot dogs, they’ll forever think of Oscar Mayer.
And since The Reel 360 News Team can’t resist hotdogs or legs this is our Reel Ad of the Week.
