Q&A: What can brands learn from Nutella’s Artemis II cameo?

Business & Government

Q&A: What can brands learn from Nutella’s Artemis II cameo?

Every good road trip includes access to a favorite treat or two.

Apparently, that logic also applies to trips to the moon.

On Monday, during a livestream aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission, a jar of Nutella – the tasty hazelnut cocoa spread – floated through the spacecraft as the four astronauts were on the brink of breaking the record for traveling farther from Earth than anyone.

Social media users quickly captured the event, and the . Nutella, naturally, got in on the fun with its own post, capped by the catchy line, “Taking spreading smiles to new heights.”

Honored to have traveled further than any spread in history 🚀 Taking spreading smiles to new heights ❤️
— Nutella (@NutellaUSA)

NASA, for the record, confirmed the spontaneous Nutella appearance was just that – The moment, nonetheless, sparks discussion about what this kind of random placement can do for a brand.

We checked in with University of Virginia Darden School of Business lecturer and communications expert Steve Soltis for his insight. Soltis previously led executive communications at The Coca-Cola Company and United Parcel Service and is the cofounder of .

Q. Can a viral unscripted moment like this truly move the needle in terms of brand perception or reputation?

A. Viral moments like this can absolutely move the needle – especially when it comes to reinforcing brand love, which is a metric most marketers pay a lot of attention to. The Artemis II journey has been such an uplifting experience for humanity during a time when, let’s face it, we need some uplift.

Portrait of Steve Soltis standing on porch..

Steve Soltis is a lecturer and communications expert at �鶹�ƽ�� Darden School of Business. (Photo by Caroline Mackey, Darden School of Business)

Having that special brand attached to a playful moment in space creates a distinct halo effect for Nutella and its millions of fans and, I suspect, new fans.

Q. How might a brand capitalize on such a moment?

A. We saw a great example of using social media in an additive way. And while this generated a lot of external awareness for Nutella, capitalizing on these moments is also an excellent way to buttress internal morale for the men and women behind the brand. Indeed, these can be powerful moments for employee communication.

Q. What do you think of Nutella’s response to this?

A. Nutella played this perfectly. A short, fun video that doesn’t overindulge while saluting an important milestone for space flight and those extraordinary astronauts who made it possible.

Q. How can brands measure the success of these moments?

A. Nutella is undoubtedly going to see a spike in share of voice and positive consumer sentiment. And I bet they will see a rise in first-time purchasers and perhaps even a gain in sales among their loyal, longtime fans, of which there are many.

Will it be material? Likely not, but we’ll see. Nevertheless, it was still a great brand-building moment.

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Q. Do moments like this change how marketers think about “brand placement” or the role of serendipity in brand visibility going forward?

A. You can bet many consumer-goods marketing teams are having conversations at this moment about Nutella.

I worked for two massive brands in UPS and Coca-Cola that were basically part of the commercial and social landscape of the world. You can’t film a movie on the streets of New York without seeing one of those classic brown UPS trucks in the background.

And Coca-Cola absolutely built its brand on what it calls “the power of presence.” Coke’s products and promotions are everywhere. That’s a very deliberate and intentional strategy that has been playing out for nearly 140 years.