NERDS Goes Bigger and Juicier for Super Bowl with Andy Cohen
Bravo fan favourite and host and executive producer of ‘The Real Housewives’ franchise, Andy Cohen, is accompanying the Ferrara Candy Company brand NERDS to its third Super Bowl.
The 30-second spot, ‘Taste Buds’, pairs Andy with the brand’s ‘Gummy character’ to introduce NERDS Juicy Gummy Clusters – a “two times bigger” riff on the original Gummy Clusters, with crunchy NERDS on the outside, gummy inside, and now a drop of juice inside as well.
Set up as a red-carpet debut, the film frames Andy as Gummy’s ‘Taste Bud’ and personal hype-man who coaxes the character towards its ‘MEGA moment’ as it transforms to match the new product’s promise: “MEGA, CRUNCH, GUMMY and JUICY”.
The campaign was created by agency Digitas Chicago, while REST led production and Framestore the VFX. The spot is set to air in the second quarter of the Super Bowl on February 8th.
For senior brand manager Jenny Chen, the work builds on the brand’s ‘Unleash Your Senses’ platform, which aims to “showcase how NERDS creates next-level experiences when flavours, textures, and senses come together”. She tells LBB, “With this spot, we wanted to showcase the product first and foremost.”
Jenny says what makes the spot so great is that it capitalises on a formula they have built over the past two Super Bowls, combining product and characters with something culturally relevant. To this end, Andy’s casting felt immediately right.
“As we were thinking through the concept – and who Gummy's true best friend or ‘Taste Bud’ would be, Andy was the immediate answer,” says Jenny, explaining he’s been a self-professed NERDS fan his entire life and now shares that experience with his own children. Jenny calls it “a delicious double entendre”, saying, “It’s the taste buds you literally experience and enjoy NERDS with – but it’s also your ‘buds’, the friends you go through life with.”
Of the plot, Andy said, “Listen, I know MEGA moments. I know when something is JUICY. And Gummy’s transformation is both of those… Being Gummy’s ‘Taste Bud’ and wingman for its MEGA red-carpet debut was incredible.”
Returning to the Big Game is a testament to the brand’s momentum, according to Ferrara CMO Greg Guitdotti, “connecting to both culture and the consumer.”
An expansive 360-degree marketing campaign extends beyond television to include paid media, retail display, and media; public relations; partnerships; gifting; digital; and social media.
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