Pop-Tarts Bowl: Built It, Branded It, Bit Into It
CREATIVE REVIEW #18
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CREATIVE REVIEW #18 〰️
THE BRIEF:
To move beyond breakfast and become a serious player in the snack world, Pop-Tarts went deep into football culture with the Pop-Tarts Bowl. The highlight? A smiling, lifesize Pop-Tart mascot who celebrated with the winning team—and was then toasted and eaten. Absurd? Yes. Effective? Even more so.
This wasn’t just a one-off stunt—it was a fully baked (literally) way to stake a claim in football season with something fans would actually remember. And while it wasn’t the Super Bowl, it proved Pop-Tarts could create its own cultural moment—with serious staying power.
🔑 Why It Worked
It was peak meme-bait: Mascot toasting itself? That’s a content pipeline.
College football energy: Tapped into real fan passion, not just media spend.
Snack-first branding: Every moment revolved around food, flavor, and fun.
🏈 Campaign Execution
The Pop-Tarts Bowl = platform play: Owned the stage, the moment, and the narrative.
Mascot martyrdom = internet gold: 80%+ of game coverage centered on the edible mascot.
Fans did the distribution: From NYT coverage to TikTok chaos, earned media carried it far and wide.
📊 Results
4B+ earned impressions
7x increase in search traffic on game day
Biggest brand day in 10 years
15x more brand mentions than other non-Kellanova bowl games
$1M+ in first-party data collected
💡 Brand Takeaways
Snack brands can own football, not just sponsor it
A strong visual concept beats a massive media buy
This playbook has long-term potential—imagine this energy during Super Bowl week
Final Word:
Pop-Tarts didn’t just show up for football—they staged the weirdest, most delicious halftime moment in recent memory. The First Edible Mascot proved you don’t need a Super Bowl ad if your mascot becomes the meme.
Credits:
Brand: Pop-Tarts (Kellanova), Chicago
Agency: Weber Shandwick (New York)
Production: Chicago Mascots, Independent Graphics & Display
Award: 2024 Clio Grand Winner
