Food Advertising Creative Closes Out 2022, Looks Toward Super Sunday

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In this quarter’s food advertising creative roundup, CPG Liquid Death Water stages a “Taze” Test, Ocean Spray Cranberries get “jiggly” with it, and QSR Dave’s Hot Chicken markets FOMO while Dole pushes YOLO. Meanwhile, Chipotle uses AR to encourage people to stick with their resolutions, and snack brands begin to tease their Super Bowl LVII appearances. For more, read on.

Liquid Death – Taze Test

In CPG, Liquid Death has devised a shocking way to prove “it’s not the worst water ever.” After choosing a couple of haters who bashed the brand on social media, LD offered a $1000 prize if either could recognize their water as the least appealing of ten brands in a blind taste test. The catch? If wrong, the pair would be tased with 50,000 volts. The results were filmed and posted online, with both contestants failing and getting tased to hilariously electrifying effect.

Ocean Spray Cranberries – Get Jiggly With It

Traditional, old-fashioned canned Ocean Spray Cranberries wants to show it knows how to party too. In a new spot, the brand becomes the center of attention at a boring family gathering. When mom sets a tray of cranberry molds in the center of the table, her staid guests become entranced with the jiggling jelly and soon begin to shake wildly themselves. The spot was posted on social sites, including Tik Tok, as a weird and wonderful way to update its image with Gen X and millennial eaters.

Dole Pineapple Juice – Let Your Glow Show

In keeping with recent work trends like quiet quitting and just plain quitting altogether, Dole is encouraging folks to live their best lives by following their hearts. One example is a woman who’s left the corporate world to become a dog walker. Dole thinks these people have a happy inner glow that matches the sunny disposition of their pineapple juice. It’s a brand not unlike Ocean Spray, attempting to modernize its somewhat dated image among younger consumers through digital platforms, including Hearst, Buzzfeed, Tasty, YouTube, Instagram, and others.

Dave’s Hot Chicken – Try It Before You Die

In QSR, Dave’s Hot Chicken Restaurants have taken a somewhat morbid approach to get folks to try their product. Dave’s doesn’t want you to die without trying it first, as, unfortunately, seems to have happened with others. Like the guy who loved driving with his head sticking out of the sunroof. And the guy who electrocuted himself trying to travel back in time to warn the dinosaurs about the coming asteroid. It’s a quirky and slightly twisted way to induce FOMO for their signature spicy chicken, which has been fast-growing in popularity.

Chipotle – Keep Your Resolutions

“Quitter’s Day,” the second Friday of January, is when people are most likely to abandon their New Year’s resolutions. But Chipotle is attempting to change that by encouraging diners to stick with their goals through a line of new wellness-inspired Lifestyle Bowls made with fresh and healthy ingredients. To publicize the new bowls, Chipotle introduced an augmented reality lens experience on Snap. The AR lens prompts users to exercise and meditate and will reward them with a promotional code for a free small side or guacamole topping.

A Sneak Peak At The Big Game

The biggest day of the year for snack food advertising falls on February 12th this year with the broadcast of Super Bowl LVII. Here are some of the brands that will be participating.

Pringles

Pringles potato chips will be back with a sequel to last year’s Super Bowl spot in which a man ends up living his entire life with his hand stuck in a Pringles can. This year’s version will feature pop star Meghan Trainor.

M&M’s

Is M&M’s bowing to pressure from conservatives over their new “woke” inclusive spokes-character designs? Or are they pulling a temporary stunt in the vein of IHOP/IHOB in ditching the long-running campaign and renaming their candies “Ma & Yas” for their Super Bowl spot with Maya Rudolf?

Frito-Lay PopCorners

PopCorners will make its first Super Bowl appearance with a Breaking Bad-themed spot starring Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul himself. A teaser spot shows them together again in their notoriously unreliable Winnebago.

Hellmann’s Mayonnaise

Hellmann’s will run a new installment of its “Make Taste, Not Waste” campaign, recognizing Super Bowl Sunday as the second most wasteful day for food in the U.S. each year.

Avocados From Mexico

Avocados From Mexico will air a spot themed around fun with guacamole. Super Bowl weekend is the largest period of avocado consumption annually, and AFM is responsible for 95% of avocado sales during that time.