• by Danielle Oster , December 27, 2024

The Kansas State Wildcats defeated the NC State Wolfpack 28-19 to win the 2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl -- the annual college football bowl game played in Orlando, Florida, originally known as the Sunshine Classic. (Kellanova acquired sponsorship rights for the bowl back in 2020.) But the day’s real star was Strawberry, the Pop-Tarts mascot named for the brand’s longtime best-selling frosted strawberry flavor.

Presented by the brand as the world’s first “edible mascot,” Strawberry’s day in the spotlight produced arguably the most viral moment from someone inside a mascot costume since “Left Shark” emerged as an unexpected sensation from Katy Perry’s 2015 Super Bowl performance. Strawberry didn’t just show up for the game. The character descended into a giant toaster while holding a sign reading “"Dreams Really Do Come True!” before being devoured by the game’s winning team.

Last year, The Pop-Tarts Stunt won over not only the audience in attendance at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium, fans watching the game at home, and users on social platforms where Strawberry went viral, but also juries at advertising industry awards shows like Cannes Lions and the Clios.

So it’s hardly surprising to see Kellanova’s edible mascot make a return. This year the brand is upping the ante by bringing along a total of three “edible mascots” to the Pop-Tarts Bowl:  Frosted Hot Fudge Sundae, Frosted Wild Berry, and an undisclosed third flavor. The MVP of this year’s game will decide which of the three flavors is eaten following the conclusion of the matchup.

Kellanova also expanded the reach of the campaign by partnering with United Airlines for a campaign -- running across both brand’s social media pages -- documenting the difficulties of the mascots’ journey to get to Orlando.

The campaign debuted yesterday, with a post on United Airlines Instagram featuring Wild Berry taking his seat on a flight, to the clear annoyance of the guy occupying the next seat over. Within its first 24 hours, the post had generated over 3,400 likes and 115 comments. The social campaign will continue to unfold ahead of the Pop-Tarts Bowl, which kicks off at 3:30 PM on Dec. 28.

The campaign follows United Airlines hiring Christina O’Rourke as its first director of creative strategy, content back in October, amidst its ongoing “Good Leads The Way” campaign. United Airlines’ recent marketing has focused on promoting purported customer service benefits over its competitors.

The airline has also shown an affinity for exploring alternatives to more traditional sports marketing around major sports events. Last year, United Airlines eschewed a national broadcast ad buy for the Super Bowl, instead deploying an alternate route focusing on regional advertising in key markets for the brand.