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The Spoon

Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

Oscar Mayer

Oscar Mayer and Tyson Jump Into the “Is it a Sandwich” Debate

The debate over what makes a sandwich a sandwich is a tried and true one. And while we all may have our own personal breaded hill on which we’ll die, two food giants jumped into the fray recently to re-ignite the debate just in time for family bickering gatherings at Thanksgiving.

First up is Oscar Mayer which declared earlier this week that hot dogs are a sandwich. As you turn green and potentially hulk out with rage, it’s just that type of reaction that Oscar Mayer seems to be, err, relishing.

As part of it’s bold, divisive proclamation, Oscar Mayer doubled down and practically said “Come at me, bro!” as the company taunted people on twitter set up a hotline for those riled up to call and argue about it. (The hotline was only open for 24 hours).

Of course, you have to take this sort of corporate rabble rousing with 420 mg of salt. This is, after all the company that released “Bacoin,” the bitcoin knock-off earlier this year.

While I don’t agree with Oscar Mayer’s take, at least a hot dog comes wrapped with bread on either side. Jimmy Dean, a division of Tyson Foods, just decided to chuck that notion altogether with its bit or corporate stuntery.

In a blog post yesterday, Tyson announced the launch of Jimmy Dean Delights Egg’wich. Think of it as a triple-layered-package of protein. This vegan nightmare has turkey sausage nestled between two slices of… egg frittatas.

The blog post goes on to petition Merriam-Webster to update their definition of sandwich, but honestly that feels like a step too far and just joking the joke at that point. We get it, Tyson.

Both bits of corporate tomfoolery were in advance of yesterday’s National Sandwich Day, a real thing, btw, and were meant to drum up some free PR. So well played, giant meat corporations, well played. Your move, Subway.

Bacoin is the new Subservient Chicken

Silly ideas are on a curve. Most can be ignored, but some go so far out there into the realm of the ridiculous, you kinda have to at least pay attention. And thus we get this story about Oscar Mayer’s pork-based cryptocurrency, Bacoin.

Basically, Bacoin is an attempt at a viral marketing campaign from Oscar Mayer, and like Bitcoin, how it all works is kinda murky. If you get a Bacoin, it will go up in value the more people talk about it on social media, and you can “cash out” your Bacoin for real world bacon. One Bacoin is currently worth 3 slices of bacon.

Or something.

Supposedly a “limited amount” of Bacoin was generated and given out starting today. I registered my name and email address and was told “No luck on the yield today, try again tomorrow.” (Ed. note: ha, ha. Sucker.) I was told that I could boost the value of Bacoin by Tweeting about it or emailing three of my friends (Spoon staff writers should check their inbox). Though why I would boost the value of someone else’s Bacoin, I’m not sure.

Look. This is all dumb. I’m dumber for writing about it. But, if this works, there is a precedent here. You can draw a straight line to Bacoin from Burger King’s Subservient Chicken (what is with viral ads for meat?). Cast your memory back to April of 2004, when you could go online and “boss” a guy in a chicken suit around, or at least start a pre-recorded video of a guy in a chicken suit performing hundreds of commands. It (briefly) captivated a nation.

Will Bacoin reach the same viral heights as Subservient Chicken? Probably not. In 2004 people were mystified by the Chicken that would dance for you. Audiences are much more digitally savvy now, and have tons of other ways to distract themselves. Plus, consumers are more conscious about where their meat products come from nowadays, and boosting something non-artisanal probably isn’t that interesting.

But, as long as there are digital trends, there will be ad executives looking to have their brands cash in on them. Plus ça change, plus c’est la meme chose.