Dive Brief:
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Sweet potato pies sold under entertainment icon Patti LaBelle's name and likeness at Wal-Mart Stores are a scarcity after a video (warning: video contains some profanity) extolling their deliciousness went viral.
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In a flamboyant and mildly profane take, singer James Wright, topped with a bedazzled baseball cap, video-recorded himself opening the box and eating a piece, narrating and singing all the way. He talked about LaBelle's greatness, sang snippets of her songs, urged shoppers to support black-owned businesses, and never let dead air take over any of the action.
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After a quiet debut in September where they got little notice, the pies sold at one pie per second for 72 hours after the video went viral.
Dive Insight:
Wright's video is not the stuff of corporate marketing; its profanities and perhaps even its flashy swagger wouldn't likely pass muster. Yet his video is a marketer's dream: it's fun and hugely effective.
According to a Michigan Wal-Mart associate interviewed by Yahoo Food, the store sold 120 cases of pie Sunday alone after "not selling” before the video. "Check back Wednesday or Thursday," the associate suggested, cautioning, "call before you come."
Wal-Mart spokesperson John Forrest Ales told Yahoo Food the pie was selling fast all over the country, and has sold out in many stores. Wal-Mart was surprised by the uptick in demand, and is working with a sweet potato pie supplier to find enough sweet potatoes to keep up with the demand.
"The supplier… was having a hard time finding [enough] sweet potatoes," Ales told Yahoo Food. "So we walked down the hall to the produce department [and said,] 'We need about 2 million pounds of California sweet potatoes!' So that's what we've been working through."
Kerry Robinson, vice president for bakery and deli at Wal-Mart, told NPR the retailer is "in the process" of securing these 2 million pounds of sweet potatoes to produce more product. For now, NPR reports that the pie is being resold for up to $40 on eBay.
LaBelle spread the video on social media, and said that she has talked with Wright personally. Wal-Mart also welcomed Wright at one of its stores over the weekend.
