Kellanova’s brands enjoyed plenty of time in the spotlight this year, including when Pop-Tarts got halo attention from Jerry Seinfeld’s “Unfrosted,” a comedy movie that told a fictional story of the pastry treat’s origin. But the continuous buzz surrounding the company’s snack brands has been very real, beginning with last season’s college bowl games when both Pop-Tarts and Cheez-It broke through with sports marketing stunts that used the kind of absurdist humor that Gen Z loves.

The Pop-Tarts Bowl was a huge success. Fans loved the Pop-Tarts “edible mascot” and went wild when he was lowered into a giant toaster holding the sign, “Dreams really do come true.” Kellanova followed a similar playbook for the Citrus Bowl, when it had a sunglasses-wearing giant Cheez-It mascot lowered into a huge Cheez-It box holding a sign that said “Non-edible mascot.”

The efforts exemplify how Kellanova reimagined the sports marketing playbook, setting a new standard that other brands are likely to follow.

More: How Pop-Tarts plans to top its edible mascot stunt in 2024

The edible mascot was “a little unhinged in the best possible way,” said Marc Simons, co-founder of Giant Spoon, which does not work for Kellanova. “Not just the [ad trade media] trades thought it was cool, but so did the rest of the internet.”

“Ideally, brands will see this as proof that when you take more creative risks with a typical sponsorship moment, you can turn it into a shared cultural moment, putting your brand right at the center of that cultural conversation,” Simons said.

Thanks to this and other standout marketing, Kellanova fared better in 2024 than a lot of its snack marketing peers. The company—whose other brands include Pringles, Rice Krispies Treats and NutriGrain—in August raised its full-year financial guidance and in October reported that net sales for the year’s first nine months grew 5%, not including factors such as currency fluctuations. The growth—which comes after Kellanova formed last year when Kellogg Co. split in two—attracted Mars, which in August announced plans to acquire Kellanova in a $36 billion deal.

Kellanova’s marketing excellence in 2024 was recognized this summer in Cannes, when the edible mascot stunt from Weber Shandwick won the Brand Experience & Activation Grand Prix. The stunt climaxed when an edible version of the mascot slid out of the bottom of the toaster and was eaten by the winning team. People created memes and added music to videos of the mascot being lowered into the toaster, while Kellanova achieved its business aim of plugging the brand for snacking occasions beyond breakfast. 

Meanwhile, Cheez-It moved further into sports when it became the official snack of Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever. Players have the Cheez-It logo on their practice jerseys and the free-throw lanes in the Fever’s arena have been painted Cheez-It-box red.

Kellanova did not stop at sports. Cheez-It gained attention via partnerships including becoming part of limited-time menu items at Taco Bell—the Big Cheez-It Tostada and Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme feature a Cheez-It that is 16 times larger than what you can find in the grocery aisle. The brand also turned heads with event marketing. In May, it opened a limited-time Cheez-It-themed diner in Woodstock, New York, that served burgers, Cheez-It-crusted chicken fingers, mac and cheese and even a Cheez-It milkshake. The diner also featured a jukebox that accepted Cheez-Its as payment rather than coins.

Cheez-It also released a mini tote bag, complete with a small box of Cheez-Its. A Cheez-It food truck showed up at tailgates in Happy Valley, Pennsylvania, and Athens, Georgia.

Pop-Tarts, meantime, appealed to Taylor Swift with a full-page newspaper ad asking her to share her homemade toaster pastry recipe after learning she made them for the Kansas City Chiefs offensive linemen. Pop-Tarts also celebrated its 60th anniversary by selling giant strawberry frosted Pop-Tarts Party Pastries to fans in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

While Pop-Tarts and Cheez-Its stole the headlines, Pringles also had a solid year. After featuring Chris Pratt in its latest Super Bowl commercial, Pringles in April partnered with Crocs for a line of clogs, including boots that hold snack-sized Pringles cans, and clogs with a Mr. P mustache. The next month, the brand rolled out a puffed bowtie-shaped snack, Pringles Mingles. Pringles also did giveaways with BrüMate and a custom ceramic snack plate to encourage fans to try Pringles with caviar.