case
RITTER SPORT.
THE UNICORN OF CASES
Quadratisch. Magisch. Gut.
Once upon a time.
Unicorns were a thing. Why? Hard to say. But no other creature of magic, rainbows and glittery farts summed up a specific mood better: “You and me, we’re fabulous!”
From Web 1.0 to Web 2.0
Long before the rise of social media, people were already remixing brands online. In Germany, Ritter Sport had become a favorite playground, with photoshopped flavors like “Minced Meat” and “Döner Kebab” spreading fast across forums, blogs and inboxes.
Instead of fighting it, the brand joined in. Its new social channels became galleries for fan-made parodies, turning internet mischief into brand love. An early blueprint for social marketing: don’t fight the fandom. Feed it.
From UGC to R&D.
As Ritter Sport’s first social media agency, we knew the fan community inside out. So when there was a chance to turn fan creations into actual products, we jumped at it. Possibly too hard.
One of our slides said it all:
“In the world of social animals, the unicorn is the Grumpy Cat of tomorrow.”
#GlitterSport #NoBrainer
From Error 404 to 70,000 units sold.
The hype was real. The panic, too. Demand for the limited-edition Unicorn chocolate bar crashed the online store. All 70,000 units sold out the same day.
From WTF? to OMG!
With a media budget that could best be described as imaginary, the project turned internet absurdity into real demand and became one of the more memorable moments in recent German marketing history.
In numbers:
500 million impressions
72% increase in brand awareness
And the madness continues.
One look at German supermarket shelves makes it clear: unicorns are here to stay.
Watch the case film:
Credits
My role: strategy and concept lead.
In practice: eating chocolate and staring at the screen in disbelief.
Social Media Team: Ben Wittkamp, Gianna Krolla, Stefanie Adler.
Art: Ricarda Lutz.
Agency: elbkind