The document provides an overview of Onion Labs, the in-house content division of satirical news publication The Onion. It describes Onion Labs as a full-service content agency that leverages The Onion's comedy writers and brand expertise to create engaging branded content. Onion Labs works with media companies, publishers, and brands to develop social video, creative campaigns, and strategic partnerships based on "relatable human truths" identified through The Onion's comedic lens. Examples of Onion Labs campaigns for brands like American Honey, KIND, and McDonald's are highlighted to illustrate how the agency's work achieves engagement and awareness for clients.

1. Julie Scott
SVP, General Manager of Onion Labs at The Onion

2. JOURNALISM
THE FINEST
HISTORY HAS EVER SEEN

7. AND OUR HEADLINES HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE RELEVANT

8. NEWS IN BRIEF • Issue 50•09
Trump Thanks United Nations For
Inviting Him To Their Country

9. NEWS IN BRIEF • Issue 50•09
Theresa May Puts on Headphones To Hear
English Translation Of Trump’s Address

10. NEWS IN BRIEF • Issue 50•09
Man Going To Restroom Deputizes Friend
To Order Him Another Drink

11. NEWS IN BRIEF • Issue 50•09
Two Faced House Guest Who Didn’t Need
Anything Suddenly Wants A Glass Of Water

12. 2-Hour Meeting Spent Thinking Up
Hashtag Absolutely Nobody On Planet
Earth Will Ever Use
NEWS IN BRIEF • Issue 50•09

13. Innovative Business Always On The
Cutting Edge Of What Other Companies
Have Been Doing For A Few Years
NEWS IN BRIEF • Issue 50•09

14. WE HAVE AN INTENSE
COMMITMENT TO QUALITY
1,500 HEADLINES PITCHED
EVERY WEEK
30-40 HEADLINES SELECTED
EVERY WEEK
OUR WRITER’S SUCCESS
RATE IS 2%

15. OTHER COMPARABLE ACCEPTANCE RATES
Stanford
Harvard
Yale
Princeton
0% 1.75% 3.5% 5.25% 7%
6.5%
6.3%
5.4%
4.8%
2%

16. AND WE’VE RECEIVED MORE PEABODY AWARDS THAN

17. (TO DATE, WE’VE RECEIVED ONE PEABODY AWARD)

18. WE WON THAT PEABODY
FOR TELLING THE TRUTH

19. RELATABLE HUMAN TRUTHS
OUR COMEDY IS BASED IN

21. BRANDS AREN’T OFF LIMITS
AND

22. New Monster Energy Defibrillator Touts
1,200 Volts Delivered Straight To Heart
NEWS IN BRIEF • Issue 50•09

23. OxiClean Unveils New Stain-Removing
Fabric Scissors
NEWS IN BRIEF • Issue 50•09

25. LABS
LABS
LA
LABS LA
WAS BORN

26. BECAUSE,
WHO WANTS TO WATCH AN AD
WHEN YOU CAN WATCH
SOMETHING ENTERTAINING

27. MEDIA COMPANIES
& PUBLISHERS
AGENCY RFPS
BRANDS

28. THE ONION’S IN-HOUSE
CONTENT DIVISION.
WE CREATE SMART
CONTENT FOR BRANDS.

29. SIMPLY PUT…
Best comedy writers
in the world
+ =
The team from some of the
biggest agencies in the U.S.
A content agency that
cannot be replicated
anywhere else in the world.

30. Full service video production
team creating social media’s
most engaging videos
An agency that works at the
speed of a publisher.
Experts at making the brand
the star without sacrificing
entertainment
ONION LABS FORMULA

32. Client introduces
campaign objectives
and KPIs
CREATIVE BRIEF
Onion Labs strategy
team develops
creative brief
Onion Labs strategist
identifies relatable
human truths through
the lens of The Onion
Creative brainstorm with
journalists, artists,
developers, comedians,
critics, and marketers
Onion Labs strategists,
social marketers, and
media planners identify
channels to amplify
creative ideas
IDENTIFY INSIGHTS
COLLABORATIVE
CONCEPTING
DESIGN CONTENT
STRATEGY
CLIENT STRATEGIC
INPUT
1 2 3 4 5
ANSWERS
INSIGHTS
RESULTS

33. a collection of the most beloved brands on the web

34. 120MM+
UNIQUE VISITORS
PER MONTH
220MM
VIDEO VIEWS
PER MONTH
97MM
SOCIAL UNIQUES
VISITED SITES 15+ TIMES IN
THE PAST MONTH
33%
OF SITE PAGEVIEWS COME
FROM SUPER FANS
FMG 28-DAY UNIQUES
THE INTERNET’S PREMIERE AUDIENCE
FUSION MEDIA GROUP
SOURCES: COMSCORE, KEY MEASURES, MULTI PLATFORM, DECEMBER 2017, FACEBOOK, DECEMBER 2017 DATA

36. Full service video production
team creating social media’s
most engaging videos
An agency that works at the
speed of a publisher.
Experts at making the brand
the star without sacrificing
entertainment
ONION LABS FORMULA

37. SOME WORK
NOW, LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT

38. 38
SOCIAL MEDIA BAR
AMERICAN HONEY
LABS
LABS
LABS
LABS
LABS
LABS
LABS
LABS

39. American Honey was searching for an ownable voice
and distinct personality that would breakthrough in a
category dominated by big spenders like Jack Daniels
and Jim Beam.
The brand saw an opportunity among a group of
millennials known as “nowists”- those who value real
experiences more than social media “currency”.
American Honey took up the rally cry for people to
get off their phones and live in the moment. But
ironically, the brand realized that to be successful,
it needed to reach the audience in the same very
place it was rallying against: social media.
And so, the brand put up a mirror to the scary
reality of social media and brought it to real life,
namely, the Social Media Bar.

41. SS
SOCIAL MEDIA BAR: CONSUMER RESPONSE
ONION LABS AMERICAN HONEY

42. SS
SOCIAL MEDIA BAR: RESULTS*
63K
ENGAGEMENTS
12%
AVERAGE VCR
5MM
VIDEO VIEWS
*On American Honey + Onion Labs social channels, paid + organic data
21%
AVERAGE VIEW RATE

43. 43
RESTLESS PALATE SYNDROME
KIND
LABS
LABS
LABS
LABS
LABS
LABS
LABS
LABS

44. Snack Bar consumers were bored, so KIND
wanted to raise awareness of their commitment
to new, delicious flavors that satisfy ever-
changing palate needs.
In a parody PSA that featured KIND
spokeswoman and celebrity chef Daphne Oz,
Onion Labs put a spotlight on the serious
“epidemic” sweeping the nation:
Restless Palate Syndrome (aka FOMO for your
taste buds).
The campaign highlighted the heartbreaking
symptoms of an unsatisfied palate, offering
KIND’s new flavor bars as the ultimate cure and
charging consumers with doing their part by
voting for KIND’s next flavor.

46. RESTLESS PALATE SYNDROME: PRESS & PR

47. RESTLESS PALATE SYNDROME: RESULTS
90%
COMPLETION RATE
SHORT FORM VIDEO
92%
VIEW RATE
SHORT FORM VIDEO
+330K
SOCIAL ENGAGEMENTS
.52%
CLICK THRU RATE
936K
VIDEO VIEWS

48. THE SAUCE
MCDONALD’S
LABS
LABS
LABS
LABS
LABS
LABS
LABS
LABS

49. On October 7th, 2017, McDonald's tried to capitalize
on a golden PR moment by releasing their coveted
Szechuan Sauce back into the world. Unfortunately,
the stunt didn't go as planned and ended with fans
rioting in the streets across the country.
Wanting desperately to make amends, McDonald’s
promised the return of Szechuan Sauce in early 2018,
and this time, they were determined to get it right.
As the big day approached, McDonald’s realized it
also had a unique opportunity to answer the question
so many consumers had asked: How did the world’s
largest fast food chain let this all happen?
Introducing The Sauce…

51. THE SAUCE: DISTRIBUTION & PROMOTION
PLATFORMS SOCIAL ONSITE

52. THE SAUCE: CAMPAIGN RESULTS
3:28
AVG TIME ON PAGE
88%
VIDEO COMPLETION RATE
TOP VIDEO: 99%
176K
DOWNLOADS

53. THE SAUCE: PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS
APPLE PODCAST’S NEW & NOTEWORTHY
HIT #94 ON APPLE
PODCAST CHARTS
PR

54. DALAI LAMA
“A life spent in service of others
has no purpose without relevant
and relatable branded content
that raises brand awareness.”

55. THANK YOU!