In its first Super Bowl ad, Nerds reaches out to Generation Z.

For the first time, the Nerds and their parent company Ferrara are heading to the Super Bowl. And they take Addison Rae with them.

The candy company’s 30-second video, released Tuesday, shows how gummy candies are made flash dance-esque moves before being showered with nerds and forming a sticky nerd cluster. A teaser released last month implied that creator Addison Rae, who appears briefly at the end of the ad, was the dancing candy character’s trainer.

Joey Rath, director of marketing for Nerds Candy in Ferrara, told us that the decision to participate in the Super Bowl (and work with Addison Rae, who has nearly 89 million followers on TikTok) was based on the brand’s interest in engaging with Gen Z, a demographic group which has gotten Gummy Clusters a lot of attention online – and apparently sales – since the product’s release in 2020.

According to Rath, Gummy Clusters have become the No. 1 selling candy with “penetration in just 15% of households,” meaning the Super Bowl provides an opportunity to reach the remaining 85% – through animated song and dance.

A lot to chew on

Preparations for this year’s game began last February, when the team began developing creative concepts to communicate its brand positioning to its target audience – “as many eyes as possible,” Rath said, and Gen Z in particular.

“This is the demographic segment that has really propelled the brand into category leadership,” she said. “We wanted to make sure our creativity resonated with them.”

According to Rath, targeting Gen Z is impossible without social media, and the brand has cross-platform plans for game day. Nerds accounts will post pre-scheduled content, she said, and the team will be ready to respond to online conversations as they arise.

In the lead-up to the game itself, Nerds has also included actual promotional elements, including promotional displays that began appearing in stores as early as October that position Nerds as “a sweet snack you can eat during game day,” Rath said. During last month’s Wild Card weekend, the brand partnered with Dallas Cowboys quarterback DeMarcus Lawrence to further promote Gummy Clusters ahead of the Super Bowl.

Nice about generation Z

The Nerds decided to publicize the location before the game and ask fans who they thought Addison was coaching in hopes of “getting the Nerd fans talking,” Rath said.

“(We) thought it would be a really fun way to pay tribute to some expert training someone unknown in preparation for their appearance in a commercial,” Rath said.

The request drew some loud responses, including from TikToker @girlbosstown, who called Travis Kelce the “obvious choice” but suggested Tom Brady or Gronk could be other options. Because the guest expressed high expectations, Rath said she wasn’t concerned that the teaser might exaggerate or overshadow the actual advertisement.

“The teaser is just a fun way to lead up to the big moment when our new gummy nerds take to the big stage,” she said.

Addison’s participation in the teaser was intended to help build excitement, and her following will also be an important element as the brand is activated online leading up to and during the game, Rath said.

As for flash dance A mention in a commercial will wow Gen Z audiences compared to, say, their parents. Rath said she is confident in the film’s place in pop culture and hopes the ode to nostalgia conveys “a reimagining of the Nerds brand that you grew up with.” and bring it to life in a modern, new way.”