Dive Brief:
- SkinnyPop, a Hershey Company brand, launched a celebrity-driven rebrand today (Feb. 27) in an effort to capture more of the growing ready-to-eat popcorn market, according to information shared with Marketing Dive.
- “Popular for a Reason” stars Jennifer Aniston and showcases new packaging intended to make it easier to find the product on store shelves. New flavors are also being introduced in an effort to expand the product’s audience.
- The campaign leverages Hershey’s media partnerships to maximize reach. The various elements include paid and organic social traffic, video placements across various platforms and an Oscars integration.
Dive Insight:
SkinnyPop is looking to build its audience and category share through a rebrand and supporting campaign and leverages celebrity starpower, comedy and Hershey’s advertising partnerships to do so. The “Popular for a Reason” campaign will span paid and organic social media, TV placement and an Oscar’s integration.
At the center of the campaign is an ad starring Aniston. The 30-second spot shows the actor trying to check into a hotel while eating a bag of SkinnyPop. The desk attendants become flustered, not because of Aniston, but because of the popcorn. The spot not only pokes fun at Aniston’s longtime celebrity, but puts the product’s new packaging in full view.
While Hershey is best known for its chocolate products, it purchased SkinnyPop’s parent company, Amplify Snack Brands in 2017 as a way to build its presence in the savory snack category. SkinnyPop has been a major focus of the strategy.
Hershey’s posted Q4 2024 revenue of $2.89 billion, a 8.67% year-over-year increase, according to a recent earnings call. In July, Hershey handed over its U.S. media duties to Publicis Groupe, which formed the bespoke MiltonOne unit to be the media agency of record for the marketer’s products.
The better-for-you snack category has seen significant growth over the past few years, has a market value of more than $47 billion and is expected to grow at an annual rate of 7.6% from 2024 to 2030.
