Dive Brief:
- Mike’s Hot Honey, an independent maker of chili-infused honeys, launched an experiential-heavy multichannel campaign on July 1 meant to encourage experimentation with the condiment on pizza and other foods, according to information shared with Marketing Dive.
- Elements include a partnership with soccer club Chicago Fire FC and a delivery promotion. Accompanying the effort is a video featuring musician and actor Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter.
- An extension of the “Drizzle The Mike’s” brand platform, the campaign will run on CTV, social media, digital channels and online videos. CTV and online video placement will be supported with Seedtag’s artificial intelligence technology to ensure creative appears during key cultural moments across food, sports and entertainment.
Dive Insight:
Mike’s Hot Honey is looking to take hot honey from a trend to a staple with its latest campaign. The “Drizzle The Mike’s” platform seeks to position the brand during culturally relevant moments, with the most recent effort leveraging soccer’s rising popularity in the U.S.
The campaign comes as Mike’s Hot Honey has been attempting to expand use cases for its product and encourage experimentation through several key partnerships, including hot honey flavors of Bush’s Grillin’ Beans and Utz chips. The brand also had a successful limited-time offering with KFC.
Mike’s Hot Honey, which says it’s the original hot honey brand, began as a pizza topping at Paulie Gee’s pizzeria in Brooklyn in 2010. The brand can now be found across the country in thousands of retailers and restaurants.
At the center of the new campaign is a short-form video that follows a young adult vying foy the position of “The Drizzler” at a Brooklyn pizzeria. Under the guidance of Trotter, the main character drizzles hot honey on everything from pizza to gelato. The score is by James Poyser, a member of The Roots alongside Trotter. The video was developed by Another Thing with Two One Five serving as the producer. It was directed by Anthony Jamari Thomas.
To expand the campaign beyond Brooklyn, the brand is making an effort in another city known for pizza: Chicago. As a partner of soccer club Chicago Fire FC, the brand will host activations such as the “Drizzle Cam” and produce custom content with players filmed at Pizz’Amici, a local pizzeria. Mike’s Hot Honey will also maintain an on-premise presence at Soldier Field through LED boards, video signage and concourse placements. The partnership includes concession integrations such as a “Cocktail of the Match” offering.
The brand will also integrate with Apple TV+, the streaming service currently hosting MLS and “Inside The Fire,” an official behind-the-scenes show from Chicago Fire FC.
To encourage experimentation, “Mike’s Hot Honey” will be putting campaign messaging and samples into Chicago pizza boxes during peak ordering windows and summer pizza occasions.
The campaign is supported digitally on platforms such as TikTok, Meta and YouTube. Instacart, DoorDash, Search and TikTok Shop integrations are meant to measure engagement and sales while building brand awareness and cultural relevancy. Independent media agency Noble People is leading the media and cultural strategy.
Hot honey is part of a larger “swicy” trend that combines desire for sweet and spicy food and is popular among Gen Z consumers. Chipotle brought back its limited-time Chipotle Honey Chicken in April after a successful run in 2025.
