The Bowl Game That Outsmarted Every Marketing Playbook: Why the Pop-Tarts Bowl Worked, and What You Can Learn from Thinking Outside-the-Box.

If you follow college football, you know that Kellanova (recently acquired by Mars) absolutely CRUSHED branding their product for the Pop-Tarts Bowl. I decided to break down their strategy so you can learn a thing or two. What they did is truly a masterclass in branding and product activation.

In a world where college bowl games have run stale, one company didn’t just sponsor a bowl game, they turned it into a viral phenomenon. What you hear most often is how the college football bowl game era has changed, and not for the better. Attendance is down, teams are withdrawing themselves from competing, players are sitting out. It's a mess.

But then the hero that we didn't know we needed shows up, and he's lathered in icing and covered in sprinkles.

Pop-Tart commercial break lifting competition.

This is the first time since Doritos and Wendy's didn't ask for permission to be fun, over-the-top, and unforgettable. To give a reason for people to want to watch a bowl game, regardless of who's playing.

You've heard the term "swimming up stream"? That’s what Pop-Tarts is doing. And they doing it faster than a fully-grown salmon looking to mate.

People aren’t talking about what schools play in the game, people are talking about Pop-Tart celebrations in the end zone. People aren’t debating if the game was good or not (and it was) — people are debating whether this bowl should be a playoff game next year.

Fans who don’t care who’s playing are already planning their trip, and saying things like this on social:

“I told my husband we have to go next year! I don’t care who’s playing. Pop-Tart shenanigans and football ❤️❤️❤️”

“We’re going next year even if neither of our teams is in it!”

"How to I apply to be a Pop-Tart mascot next year???"

"The teams were pretty good, but the people that put together this bowl are next level! It's like wanting to go back and see Super Bowl commercials. I want to go back and see what happened with the Pop-Tarts! 🤣"

Let that sink in.

People are showing up for the brand experience, not just the sport.

And that’s exactly why this is a masterclass in branding. It defies the laws of excitement at a time where there is complete turmoil around the direction of a $19B industry. How many teams should be in the playoffs? Who should be in the playoffs? How do we get teams to play in their invited bowls? How do we increase bowl attendance? Well, I have your answer. Do it the Pop-Tarts way.

They built something people didn’t even know they wanted … until they saw it live and online. Google Trends exploded with searches for “Pop-Tart Bowl” and fans asking how to “apply to be a Pop-Tart.” The brand didn’t just sponsor the game, they became the story. Not to mention gaining an estimated $26M in media value from the sponsorship in 2024. I estimate it to be considerably more this year when the final numbers come out. Value jumped from $9M in 2023 to $26M in 2024. It wouldn't surprise anyone if that number nears $50M for 2025.

Google Trends: Pop-Tarts

Sure, sprinkles on the sidelines and mascots dancing like they're at the peak of a child's 2-box sugar rush doesn't seem normal for a bowl game, but that's exactly why it worked.

Memorable > forgettable.

Joyful > bland.

Viral > ignored.

And guess what? Pop-Tarts now own a moment that has transcended the game itself.

Independent measurement of last year’s game showed 9x more share of voice than 20 other bowls combined, with a 275% boost in social engagement. Let me say that again. NINE TIMES MORE THAN 20 OTHER BOWL GAMES COMBINED. Absolutely absurd.

Did I mention that they bring out the toast float on the field after the game and sacrifice one of the pastries to the winning team? Pure genius.

This is what happens when a sponsorship goes beyond logo placement and gets permission to think outside-the-box. Btw, that's an intended pun....

Every marketer should take note of what we can learn here. And every brand should ask:

"Am I giving my team enough creative freedom to be memorable … or am I just keeping them within my own mental box?

Pop-Tarts didn’t just market a game. They won the heart of America.

I have a healthy family, consuming primarily whole foods and admittedly a lot of ice cream in the summer. We have 3 boxes of Pop-Tarts in our pantry at the moment. That's never happened before.