Nerds

Nerds Gummy Clusters are a breakthrough product featuring tiny, crunchy Nerds candies around a gummy centre, delivering a multi-sensory combination of crunchy and gummy in every bite. The product’s popularity and growth in the US have been strong enough that Ferrara Candy reached out to us to handle their Canadian launch, with an emphasis on product sampling.

About the Project

The Challenge

The challenge was significant: engage Canadian consumers and distribute 1.3 million bags of Nerds Gummy Clusters Rainbow flavor. Our key targets included multiple age groups, such as parent shoppers stocking home shelves and a younger demographic, including children, teens, and university students, who regularly consume this category.

Strategic Approach

With Nerds being a fun, quirky, and well-established brand, we decided to lean on nostalgia when developing our program strategy. We created two traveling activation teams: one utilizing a larger footprint focused on festivals and events, and another smaller, street-level team focused on guerrilla marketing activations. Together, we maximized Canadian markets, event schedules, and sample distribution.

The Campaign

We created The Nerds Gummy Clusters Arcade, a nationally touring activation featuring Nerds-themed foosball and Skee-Ball, anchored by a 12-foot Gummy Cluster centrepiece housing brand ambassadors and free samples. The tour hit the PNE, Games Con Edmonton, and Calgary Stampede, while Ontario guerrilla teams brought branded Nerd-cycle vending bikes to summer concerts, Blue Jays games, and the CNE.

1.6M+

Samples distributed within 3 month timeline

7.48M+

Overall generated impressions

2.15M+

Consumer interactions

63+

Activations with the Nerds bike team, with custom bike designs

Major Canadian events with the Nerds Arcade team

300,000+

Additional samples distributed during the September extension

50+