Unveiling the world's largest cupcake for DecoPac

DecoPac, the world's largest wholesale cake-decoration supplier, teamed up with Padilla Speer Beardsley to make a high-profile consumer event look like . . . well, a piece of cake.

To drive traffic to DecoPac's consumer-facing Web site – Cakes.com – the event team created the world's largest cupcake. The event also featured a major celebrity: Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants, whose 10th anniversary on TV was simultaneously being celebrated at the Mall of America event.

The massive cupcake – equivalent to 1,000 regular cupcakes – not only broke the Guinness World Record, but energized the commercial-baking trade. Many of DecoPac's retail customers, such as Cub Foods, used the anniversary event to create special product promotions and displays to boost sales.

Padilla devised a strong media relations campaign that included outreach to traditional media and bloggers. Coverage totaled 762 stories across print, online and broadcast channels, reaching more than 284 million viewers, readers and listeners nationwide. Coverage of the event appeared on NBC's "Today," show, FOX News, CNN Headline News, MTV, PerezHilton.com and The Huffington Post, to name a few. The media attention sparked a significant increase in traffic at Cakes.com, as well as sales for DecoPac's products.

DecoPac also used the event as an opportunity to introduce a spokesperson – company pastry chef JodiLee Knops – who provided a personal voice for the brand and exposure on a national stage. She also provided insight about the complicated process of baking a giant cupcake in accordance with Guinness' record-setting rules.

Large crowds attended the event, drawn by the Mall of America and Nickelodeon Universe popularity and other events tied to the SpongeBob SquarePants anniversary celebration, including a cartoon marathon and free movie.