The Pop-Tarts Bowl featured the ritual sacrifice of the brand mascot. It was weird. But was it smart?
Who knew eating your mascot on live TV could help drive sales. That’s precisely the gamble the marketing team behind Pop-Tarts took during a college football bowl game Thursday. Pop-Tarts, that family breakfast staple, was among the brands that recently split off from Kellogg’s as part of a new corporate entity called Kellanova. Kellanova sponsored this year’s Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, which last year was named after sister brand Cheez-It, and has previously been known as the Blockbuster and Champs bowls. The branding effort appears to have paid off big time. The game, which ended with players eating the Pop-Tarts mascot, generated an astounding $12.1 million in media exposure, according to advertising and marketing agency, Apex Marketing Group. That exposure was a lot less than Kellanova paid to be the Bowl’s title sponsor. Reportedly, the total sponsorship income for the bowl, including contributions from other companies, totaled just $2.06 million—meaning a tidy 6:1 return on investment for Kellanova. The Pop Tarts Bowl generated $12.1 million in media exposure for parent company Kellanova as of this morning, per @ApexMarketing. How much did the company pay? A lot less than that. The bowl reported $2.06 million in total sponsorship income in its 2021 tax filing. pic.twitter.com/w1nsOxVubi— Eben Novy-Williams (@novy_williams) December 29, 2023 Beyond the media exposure Kellanova received for the brand during the bowl itself, the company’s edible Pop-Tart, called Strawberry, continues to catch the internet’s attention. It had to be done! pic.twitter.com/8irhaZ1mCv— Pop-Tarts Bowl (@PopTartsBowl) December 29, 2023 The Pop-Tart, which was disconcertingly lowered into a toaster at halftime and then consumed as a post-game victory snack by the Kansas State Wildcats players, danced around the sidelines throughout the game, earning it a significant amount of sweet air time. Those moves also helped the mascot become a meme that reached people who didn’t even watch the game—reminiscent of the infamous death of Mr. Peanut in a Planters ad that ran during the 2020 Super Bowl. pic.twitter.com/pa8Pntrno2— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) December 29, 2023 close enough pic.twitter.com/nRhEmJWlDk— Pop-Tarts Bowl (@PopTartsBowl) December 29, 2023 added some music. it only felt right.rest easy, sweet prince. ????️ https://t.co/Y6AhJ6zr9U pic.twitter.com/BTj6DyITHy— TransPerfect Music City Bowl (@MusicCityBowl) December 29, 2023 Leave no crumbs. pic.twitter.com/JNEjHCUXXM— Pop-Tarts Bowl (@PopTartsBowl) December 29, 2023 And instead of the traditional Gatorade victory bath, Kansas State’s coach was covered in coolers full of Pop-Tarts to celebrate. That sweet, sweet taste of victory! #PopTartsBowl pic.twitter.com/aXYjf5Msho— Pop-Tarts Bowl (@PopTartsBowl) December 29, 2023 The cannibal-esque branding moment caps off a big year for the 60-year-old Pop-Tarts brand, which is more popular than ever. The breakfast pastry brought in $978 million in U.S. sales in 2022, according to Chicago-based research firm Circa and, by October of this year, had already topped $985 million. The decision to sponsor the bowl was made to keep the brand top-of-mind for consumers—and clearly, it did the trick, if a post from “Dave” on X is any indication: “No dogs in this fight but my wife just said ‘the advertising worked now I want a Pop Tart’ lol.” No dogs in this fight but my wife just said “the advertising worked now I want a Pop Tart” lol— Dave (@HATEaGATE) December 29, 2023
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Who knew eating your mascot on live TV could help drive sales. That’s precisely the gamble the marketing team behind Pop-Tarts took during a college football bowl game Thursday. Pop-Tarts, that family breakfast staple, was among the brands that recently split off from Kellogg’s as part of a new corporate entity called Kellanova. Kellanova sponsored this year’s Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, which last year was named after sister brand Cheez-It, and has previously been known as the Blockbuster and Champs bowls. The branding effort appears to have paid off big time. The game, which ended with players eating the Pop-Tarts mascot, generated an astounding $12.1 million in media exposure, according to advertising and marketing agency, Apex Marketing Group.
That exposure was a lot less than Kellanova paid to be the Bowl’s title sponsor. Reportedly, the total sponsorship income for the bowl, including contributions from other companies, totaled just $2.06 million—meaning a tidy 6:1 return on investment for Kellanova.
Beyond the media exposure Kellanova received for the brand during the bowl itself, the company’s edible Pop-Tart, called Strawberry, continues to catch the internet’s attention.
The Pop-Tart, which was disconcertingly lowered into a toaster at halftime and then consumed as a post-game victory snack by the Kansas State Wildcats players, danced around the sidelines throughout the game, earning it a significant amount of sweet air time. Those moves also helped the mascot become a meme that reached people who didn’t even watch the game—reminiscent of the infamous death of Mr. Peanut in a Planters ad that ran during the 2020 Super Bowl.
And instead of the traditional Gatorade victory bath, Kansas State’s coach was covered in coolers full of Pop-Tarts to celebrate.
The cannibal-esque branding moment caps off a big year for the 60-year-old Pop-Tarts brand, which is more popular than ever. The breakfast pastry brought in $978 million in U.S. sales in 2022, according to Chicago-based research firm Circa and, by October of this year, had already topped $985 million.
The decision to sponsor the bowl was made to keep the brand top-of-mind for consumers—and clearly, it did the trick, if a post from “Dave” on X is any indication: “No dogs in this fight but my wife just said ‘the advertising worked now I want a Pop Tart’ lol.”
