Sour Patch Kids has added a new fruits & lemonade innovation product to their portfolio for consumers that are seeking less of an extreme sourness flavor.
​
SPK is seeking to increase consumption index with teens, influence trial, and increase unaided awareness.
​
How do we make SPK the everyday non chocolate confectionery snack for Gen Z?
Team Credit:
Ikenna Ugwu, Jade Holiday, Akshay Deolekar, Alicia Tuff
Planning Parameters
KPI
Conversion & Trial
Increase consumption index
BUDGET
$26 MM
TIMING
FY 2024
Cultural & Seasonal Moments
AUDIENCE
Gen Z
Primary: Teens
Secondary: Young adults in the workplace
Hispanics and African Americans over index
Research
Primary Audience: Gen Z 18 - 24 (29 MM)
Source:
2021 Spring
MRI Simmons USA
Splurge on image enhancing products, status seekers, and they love seeing celebrities that represent their background.
More likely than average American to be SPK consumers (1.9x)
1/3 are regular consumers of fast food for convenience, with McDonalds being their top choice.
Secondary Audience: Gen Moms 35 - 54 (21 MM)
Current or expecting moms (children 0 - 17 in HH)
Moms are 1.53x more likely to be SPK consumers than the average US adult.
Moms are 1.7x more likely to buy candies as a gift and swayed to choose brands their kids prefer.
Feel connected to their children through their interests.
Ideation
INSIGHT
Gen Z habits are deeply rooted in social media trends. They would rather have a celebrity define their aesthetic attitudes because they live for acceptance.
COMMS STRATEGY
It's not just sour and sweet, it's a lifestyle. Sour and sweet and everything in between.
"Sweet and sour on the go"
MEDIA STRATEGY
Through the lens of influencers, position SPK as the perfect meal supplement snack for a busy lifestyle.
Media Plan
MACRO INFLUENCER
Reach teens influenced by North West's sweet and sour personality to drive trial of SPK's new fruits & lemonade product.
BRAND PARTNERSHIP - McDonalds
North will push a limited time meal at McDonalds alongside her mom, Kim for Halloween. The meal will include SPK charm collectibles and other surprises to influence trial.
BRAND PARTNERSHIP - AMC Theatres
Create custom popcorn buckets with influencer (North West) and SPK meal combo imagery on packaging to incite trial.
CINEMA
Target Gen Z and moms during hang out moments with video ads pre-movie start to generate awareness while they are immersed in viewing movies at the theatre.
OUT-OF-HOME
Place SPK ads in transit spaces with high foot traffic and in McDonalds store kiosks/boards. Include barcode feature allowing scanners to enter into a halloween costume contest.
SOCIAL
Promote short form video content with North poking fun at traditional meal recipes while incorporating SPK via Tik Tok/IG reels and YouTube Shorts.
Promote halloween contest across social platforms and launch social media filters during peak seasons of candy consumption (Valentine's, Easter, Halloween).
Use Pinterest shoppable ads to target moms looking for halloween inspiration.
DIGITAL VIDEO
Ad placements on YouTube search homepage, music content, and surround parenting videos to reach moms.
:15s and :30s video ads on shows popular among audience; The Voice, This Is Us, Stranger Things, Euphoria, Parenthood.
AUDIO & MUSIC ACTIVATIONS
Tap into Gen Z's passion for music with :15s and :30s audio ads on Spotify, Vevo, YouTube Music, and Pandora.
Have presence at major music concerts and gaming/sporting events too create a trial opportunity with free SPK samples.
Market Rationale
Source:
2021 Spring
MRI Simmons USA
Approach media buying by locally targeting states that have a high affinity for BIPOC Gen Z.
9 in 10 live in Metropolitan areas.
Key States
California (1.82x)
New York (1.16x)
New Jersey (1.2x)
Texas (1.47x)
Florida (1.25x)
Illinois (1.3x)
Georgia (1.31x)
Media Flowchart
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
July
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Cost
Impressions
Brand Partnership: McDonalds
​
Brand Partnership: AMC Theatres
​
Cinema
​
OOH
​
Social
​
Digital Video
​
Audio & Music Activations
​
​
Total
$10 MM
​
$3 MM
​
$600K
​
$2 MM
​
$3 MM
​
$5 MM
​
$2.4 MM
n/a
​
n/a
​
20 MM
​
166 MM
​
500 MM
​
100 MM
​
80 MM
$26MM
866 MM
Flighting Rationale
Social and video will have an always on presence to maintain SPK's pop culture relevance and drive performance.
Brand partnerships, Streaming audio/music activations, and OOH capture the height of Summer when teens and young adults are out and about seeking outdoor expereinces.
Cinema advertising will run during major blockbusters movies throughout the year.
Channel Mix Rationale
​
Gen Z are the prime audience for influencer marketing. If someone popular is eating it, they'll feel more cool and trendy.
​
- 1.5x more likely than average to follow vloggers on social media.
​
- 1.25x more likely to discover new brands and products via endorsements by celebrities.
​
- They also value and trust the opinion of their peers to guide buying decisions.
​
​
Gen Z's respond to social media advertisement and use social media to create content (1.6x more likely)
​
Gen Z want to engage with content, whether it's through polls, interactive stories, live streaming, or immersive experiences.
​
They prefer short content and the opportunity to recieve rewards for their engagement.
​
Strong preference for on-demand platforms like YouTube and Netflix.
Prefer OOH media over digital ads.
In-store ads have a slightly larger influence on Gen Z, as they try new items at a rate of 7.7% vs. 3.6% of millennials.
They prefer ads in movie and music context, and passion for music is important to Gen Z.
Source: Global Web Index, Gen Z: Examining the attitudes and digital behaviors of internet users aged 16-21, 2019.
Kantar_Millward_Brown_AdReaction_GenXYZ_Global
2021 Spring MRI Simmons USA
Measurement
Media Channel
Social Media
Video
Out-Of-Home
Audio/Music Streaming
PR
Cinema
Brand Partnerships
Measurement KPIs
Impressions, Engagement Rate, Views
Impressions, Click-Through Rate, View-Through Rate
Impressions
Listens, Samples Redeemed
Earned Media
Impressions, Sales Lift
Sales Lift