Pop-Tarts’ edible mascot from Weber Shandwick wins Brand Experience & Activation Grand Prix

Pop-Tarts won college football bowl season—and now it’s got a victory at Cannes. The Kellanova brand won the Brand Experience & Activation Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on Thursday for its “edible mascot” effort from Weber Shandwick. The stunt, which occurred at the Dec. 28 Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, involved lowering a Pop-Tarts mascot into a giant toaster while holding a sign saying “Dreams really do come true.” The Pop-Tart soon emerged in edible form and was devoured by the winning Kansas State team. Cannes Lions coverage See all of the Grand Prix winners here Top 5 Grand Prix campaigns The sentient Pop Tart’s brainwashed joy is so palpable!! You can sense that he wants nothing more than to be toasted and eaten. The sign that he flings away and it goes spinning with such showmanship as he’s lowered into the toaster… to me this is cinema pic.twitter.com/Aackmt7zA6— Iva (@ivadixit) December 29, 2023 The effort set a new standard for sports marketing absurdity—along with effectiveness—capturing attention for a mid-level bowl game that normally does not get much love and bringing Kellanova a stellar return on investment for its bowl sponsorship. Pop-Tarts earned an estimated $12.1 million worth of media exposure within 24 hours of the game as the stunt went viral, generating countless social media memes. It ultimately became Kellanova’s largest-ever ever earned media event, generating 5 billion impressions, while achieving a business goal of positioning Pop-Tarts as a snack for all occasions, not just breakfast, Kellanova Chief Marketing Officer Julie Bowerman told Ad Age earlier this year. “Weber has taught us that influence is this two-way street,” Bowerman said at the time. “Brands can’t simply reflect culture, we have to actually contribute to it.” Gold Lions Gold Lion winners included NotCo’s “Mayo Haters” from Gut Miami, which bolstered the plant-based brand’s claim that it tastes like real mayonnaise by having people who don’t like mayo taste, and reject, NotCo’s version. Wieden+Kennedy Portland and Superette San Francisco (DoorDash’s creative studio) won Gold for DoorDash’s “Doordash-all-the-ads” Super Bowl campaign. FCB Chicago’s “The Last Barf Bag” for Dramamine, which won a Grand Prix in Health & Wellness, also won Gold in Brand Experience & Activation.

Pop-Tarts’ edible mascot from Weber Shandwick wins Brand Experience & Activation Grand Prix

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