Kamado Joe and the power of quick thinking: turning a global news moment into BBQ sales
Case Study
In May 2025, the world watched a chimney. As cardinals gathered in the Sistine Chapel to elect a new pope, rolling news channels and social feeds fixed on a single detail: would the smoke be black or white? When white smoke finally rose and the words “Habemus Papam” confirmed the election of Pope Leo XIV, it became one of the most talked-about media moments of the year, generating huge, genuine public attention in real time.
It also, rather wonderfully, landed right at the start of BBQ season. That collision of a global news event and the great British barbecue is exactly the kind of gap a sharp media team looks for, and it is precisely what we found for our client Kamado Joe.
The idea
We pitched running premium digital out-of-home screens across high-traffic urban locations and retail environments on the day the new pope was confirmed, built around a simple, cheeky line: “White smoke! BBQ season is here.” The creative paired the world’s biggest news story with a striking image of a Kamado Joe grill, its own plume of smoke doing the visual heavy lifting. It was warm, funny, and unmistakably on the day’s agenda without saying a single word about the Vatican itself.
How it came together
Turning a live news event into an out-of-home campaign in a matter of hours only works with the groundwork already in place. Our team selected sites based on audience demographics, foot traffic patterns and proximity to retail, securing large-format placements at premium, high-visibility locations built to land at distance and cut through the noise of a busy street. Because we buy this kind of space every day, we were able to negotiate premium placements during a genuinely peak seasonal window, at pace, without the client needing a blockbuster budget.
The bigger lesson
This is the same principle we set out in the first article in this series, on real-time tactical media: the brands that win a cultural moment are the ones who are prepared to move quickly, not the ones with the biggest media budget. Kamado Joe did not need to outspend anyone that week. It needed a media partner who spotted the opportunity, built the creative fast, and knew exactly which sites would put it in front of the right people at the right time.
Have a moment you want to seize?
Book a chat with Hurst Media Agency and let us help you spot the next opportunity for your brand, and move on it fast. Drop us an email at sales@hurstmediaagency.co.uk and we will be happy to chat about what would work for you.