Butterball Comfort Calendar
Helping holiday hosts pencil in time for emotional support.
Butterball is known for its hotline, where folks can call for advice from a Turkey Talk-line Expert. What hosts didn’t expect was the amazing emotional support those same experts also provided. We decided to make that emotional support official and created a way for holiday hosts to pencil in time for their emotional well-being.
Our calendars have daily reminders to stretch, go for walks, and take deep breaths–even interactive pages of stress-relieving activities. And, of course, they’re filled with classic Turkey Talk-Line advice to make sure hosts are prepped for the big day.
omni-channel campaign / campaign and illustration art direction
There were three chances for our audience to snag a physical calendar (for free!) and each day, calendars were claimed in seconds.
“The must-have accessory for the holiday season.”
- Foodsided
Like any Thanksgiving dinner party, our calendar needed an excellent host. Inspired by classic Butterball blue aprons, the sassy, forever-cozy Apron was born. Each page featured a unique illustration of Apron doing various Thanksgiving-related activities.
We teamed up with Andy J. Pizza and his illustrations made the calendar come to life, bringing character (literally!) and charm to every page. I selected Pizza as our illustrator because of his ability to visualize abstract concepts – he certainly knocked this one outta the park.
Social
To give some extra-soothing content for those following on social, our illustrator created oddly-satisfying BTS videos of the calendar creation process, with daily tips narrated by an actual Talk-line Expert.
Earned Media Mailers
We caught media’s attention by mailing out personalized Comfort Packages. The packages included fuzzy socks to keep cozy during prep days, a notebook and pen to encourage journaling, a tin to hold comfort food recipes, and of course two Comfort Calendars – one to keep, one to gift!
“Butterball isn't just a company that cares about cook[ing] the perfect turkey. It also wants anyone cooking at home to feel supported.”
- Mashed
the turkey team: creative director, unofficial emotional support expert: Brandon Jessee / copywriter, the best partner an AD could ask for: Jenna Jones / producer, the one who made it all happen: Miranda Jacoby