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 a nationally touring brand activation called The Nerds Gummy Clusters Arcade. Complete with Nerds-themed foosball tables and Skee-Ball machines, the arcade was built around a custom-fabricated, 12-foot-high Gummy Cluster candy—with brand ambassadors inside—that served as the activation’s centerpiece. Consumers were drawn in to play the free arcade games and, once inside, were provided with a sample.

Beginning in early June, the team traveled across the country, making stops at the PNE in Vancouver, Games Con in Edmonton, and the highly attended Calgary Stampede. Meanwhile, in Ontario, two guerrilla teams used custom-fabricated vending bikes to attend popular events, attractions, and venues until the arcade team returned to Toronto. Modeled after a traditional ice cream bike, the brightly branded Nerd-cycles featured a large cargo box for samples, a pop-up shelf for product display, and an illuminated umbrella for summer shade. The Nerd-cycle bikes became a popular fixture at summer concerts, Toronto Blue Jays games, and the Canadian National Exhibition.