Murder of Original

Pringles today launches a major new marketing partnership with the iconic board game Cluedo, after teasing fans with a stunt suggesting that the beloved Original flavour was being bumped off.

In a campaign created by INNOCEAN Berlin, the teaser started with a cryptic Instagram post bidding farewell to Pringles Original flavour, and escalated with a series of projections on prominent sites in Berlin and Hamburg and digital billboards in Vienna, reading “Goodbye, Original”.

The post triggered a range of wild reactions among Pringles fans on Instagram, from surprise: “Wait what?” (@cere01n), “This is a joke right?” (@jolina.faye) to denial: “That cannot happen originals are the best” (@ninskij), with some fans speculating whether this was all a Halloween stunt or whether other flavours could be affected.

INNOCEAN Berlin partnered with popular streamers @starletnova and @letshugo to amplify the campaign on social media, by getting them to urge followers to save Original – only to then reveal that it was all part of the launch for a new collaboration between Pringles and Cluedo, the board game where players have to deduce who committed a murder, where it happened and what weapon was used.

Audiences across Germany, Austria and Switzerland are now invited to solve the murder of Original flavour, turning the three countries into a live Cluedo game board and letting the Cluedo characters escape their fictional mansion to cause havoc in the real world. Correct guesses give players the chance to win a year’s supply of Pringles, a Cluedo board game or a trip to New York for a live Cluedo adventure.

Till Prause, Digital Activation Manager for DACH at Kellanova, says: “It’s a crazy idea – killing off a flavour everyone loves – but that’s what makes it so fun! We’re always looking for ways to break the mould and connect with our audience, and this campaign really lets us do just that.”

“This campaign reflects a new chapter for INNOCEAN Berlin, pushing the boundaries of interactive storytelling. It all started thanks to one of our mid-level creative teams, who attended Young Lions and came back with a new client, Pringles. It’s a fresh direction for us - embracing dynamic, social-first content that resonates with younger audiences. But really, that’s no surprise. If there’s one thing INNOCEAN knows how to do, it’s to have fun, and this campaign is all about amplifying that energy in unexpected ways", adds Gabriel Mattar, European CCO of INNOCEAN Worldwide.

The ‘Murder of Original’ campaign runs until 3 January 2025, featuring digital, out-of-home and in-store promotions across Germany, Switzerland and Austria.