• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, December 13, 2024

When the social listening tools at Ferrara Candy Co. first picked up the candy salad trend on TikTok, it seemed like a novelty. But as the craze kept growing, the sugar-candy company realized that while the popularity of these salad “recipes” – often including such Ferrara brands as SweeTarts or Nerds – might be a happy accident for the Chicago-based company, the trend could also be a potential holiday hit.

“A consumer can’t open up TikTok without seeing the candy salad trend,” says Brian Camen, senior director of content and public relations for the Chicago-based company. “We started seeing it about two years ago, with TikTok users mixing their favorite candy to create custom concoctions and calling them candy salads. The trend keeps growing – there's been more than 3 billion video views of candy salad content and more than 100,000 hashtag uses.”

And with many of the company’s brands already starring in these sweet mix-ups, “we decided to make it as easy as possible to create them and put all the key ingredients into one candy salad kit via our TikTok shop.”

The trend plays into a peculiarly Gen Z-ish flavor of creativity, not unlike General Mills’ recent launch of the Kelce Mix, a mélange of the favorite cereals of NFL bros Jason and Travis Kelce. And the concept bears a remarkable similarity to Chex Mix, a recipe consumers have been “improving” for decades.

But candy salad, says Camen, is even more personalized. “How you make your candy salad is completely up to you. You can get as creative as you want with it.”

The company is supporting the launch with both earned and paid media, including a video, as well as influencers. And because commerce via TikTok Shop has grown so rapidly – nearly tripling in recent months, according to Camen –he expects the holiday-themed gimmick to sell out quickly.

The $30 collection has a seasonal twist and comes with Nerds Frosty Gummy Clusters, SweeTarts, Twisted Holiday Punch Ropes, Trolli Sour Brite Abominable Snowmen, and Mini Peppermint Candy Canes. The package also includes a jar to hold the creation, stickers to decorate that jar, and a hat.