Pringles has a new take on flavor-stacking that almost seems more like 30 seconds of a “Rick and Morty” episode rather than a Super Bowl commercial. And that's entirely the point.
Special Report: Super Bowl
Rick and Morty bring fresh energy to flavor-stacking in Pringles’ Super Bowl spot
The commercial almost feels more like an episode of ‘Rick and Morty’ than a Pringles ad
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In the spot, released Tuesday, Morty appears to be super excited about his stacking of three flavors of Pringles. His pronunciation of jalapeño is just as off as one might expect. Turns out, as Rick discovers while Summer watches the scene unfold, it isn’t actually Morty. This is a Pringles Mortybot. And they’re all stuck in a Pringles commercial.
Adult Swim worked on the spot in partnership with Pringles’ agency Grey Group. It is set to run during the second quarter.
After two more-traditional Super Bowl spots focused on flavor-stacking in 2018 and 2019, the question was “how do we keep attracting new, younger users into the brand?” says Gareth Maguire, senior director of marketing for Pringles. Teaming up with “Rick and Morty,” a top show among 18-to-30-year-olds, was a way to do so. “They have a massively passionate fan base,” he says of the show.
The effort also includes a “Pickle Rick” flavor of Pringles that is starting to roll out in stores. Pringles also has plans for “Rick and Morty”-themed activations throughout 2020. For the first time, the Kellogg Co. brand is planning to be at Comic Con.
“I think we need to feed off some of the reaction we get from the fans in the coming weeks to make sure that we have a great activation down there,” Maguire says.
"Rick and Morty" fans have known for weeks that the ad was coming. Pringles announced its plans in December and released a teaser last week on the show's social channels.
