• by Danielle Oster , December 13, 2023

Nerds will be making an appearance at the Super Bowl marketing party for the first time in 2024.

This will also mark  first time parent company Ferrara has advertised in the Big Game.

Nerds will make its debut with a 30-second spot expected to run during the second quarter. According to a statement from the brand, the ad will features “Nerds and its lovable characters -- like you’ve never seen them before,” while focusing on the brand’s popular Nerds Gummy Clusters. The brand promises “not just a fresh look at the Nerds characters” but one that “will engage all the senses.”

That line suggests the kind of fantastical element you might find in the new “Wonka” movie and, perhaps not incidentally, Nerds used to be part of the Willy Wonka Candy Company family of brands, which Ferrero Group acquired from Nestlé and discontinued in 2018. Ferrera brought back the Wonka branding with a limited-edition Wonka Magic Hat Gummies release back in September, ahead of this month’s “Wonka” movie debut.

In addition to the national broadcast ad, the campaign -- created in partnership with Digitas Chicago -- will run across multiple marketing channels. Ferrera kicked off the effort with in-store marketing promoting its Nerds, SweeTarts and Trolli brands across retailers nationwide, as well as a sweepstakes in which customers who purchase packs of Nerds Gummy Clusters can win a trip to the 2025 Super Bowl.

The brand attributed the decision to make a Big Game appearance for the first time in part to the success of Nerds Gummy Clusters, and the Nerds family more broadly. In a statement, the brand claimed that the Nerds Gummy Clusters product has achieved 67% year-over-year sales growth, leading it to increase manufacturing capacity for the candy by 360% and triple its marketing investment. Nerds more broadly has grown from $50 million to $500 million in annual retail sales over the course of five years – becoming a leading brand in the sugar candy category, according to Circana data cited by the brand.