Buttery, crunchy and exploding with flavor, these snack twists have fans who are so devoted they make it their mission to introduce anyone and everyone to their beloved Dot’s by word of mouth and on social media. So when we were recently tasked with creating the first-ever ad for Dot’s to tell those who don’t know about this delicious pretzel, it was an honor.
For more than a decade, Dot’s, which was created by Dorothy "Dot" Henke in her Velva, North Dakota kitchen, grew organically thanks to its devotees. When The Hershey Company acquired Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels in 2021, our goal was to use our wide distribution network, robust supply chain, consumer insights and expertise around brand growth to let consumers who hadn’t yet tried Dot’s—of whom there are many—know what they’re missing. That was on our minds as our salty snacks marketing division began working with our in-house agency, C-Sweet Studio, to build the inaugural ad campaign.
Our first step was to talk to consumers to better understand their outright obsession with Dot’s. After all, pretzels are nothing new - they’re an old-standby. When we think about pretzels, we think of that bowl we fill before a party that rarely has to be refilled. We think about the snack that lots of people eat, but few rave about. But as we listened to Dot’s fans—informally through social media networks and formally through structured conversations—we were blown away. Their words for Dot’s were, without fail, over-the-top, ranging from “these are the best things I’ve ever had,” to “where have you been all my life?” It was never “Yeah, it’s a pretty good pretzel.”
For us, as creatives, those superlative reactions were inspiring, and we knew we needed to feature that obsessive fandom in the ad. But first, we needed to introduce the product. Currently, Dot’s has only about an 8% U.S. household penetration. We believe it can grow to four or five times that amount, but first, we need to show people what distinguishes Dot’s and why they should care. To accomplish this, the first half of the ad—which recently launched on digital and streaming media—zooms in close as the pretzel spindles catapult through seasoning while a clear voice heralds some of Dot’s defining qualities, like its buttery flavor and sensational seasoning.
Then comes the hyperbole, like when a Dot’s lover has an entire truckload of Dot’s delivered to his suburban driveway, and another features an all-pretzel pantry. The message we’re trying to get across is no, you really don’t understand how much you’re going to love Dot’s, and it’s going to make you act in crazy and ridiculous ways. And that’s not a bad thing.
Creating the ads with C-Sweet was a dream because of our shared goal: to inform consumers everywhere that if they haven’t tried Dot’s yet, they’re missing out on something big. I guess you could say that at Hershey, we’re the biggest Dot’s evangelist of all. If you know, you know.
