Cheez-It, a brand with a long-running
commitment to college football programming, is revamping its game-day playbook. New packaging is part of it, and for the first time, consumers can buy the cheese snacks in canisters, much like those
used for Pringles, another Mars-owned brand. And it has also rolled out a new -- and comical -- campaign called “The Couch Committee.”
The setup is classic fan mayhem: a
collection of characters sits on a Cheez-It-shaped couch. They include a geriatric player in a leather helmet and a cowboy-hatted Texan representing big money’s influence in the game. A
prototypical announcer, coach and a few opinionated fans keep the voting lively.
These armchair analysts debate whether they are “in” or “out” on the football
controversy du jour. Helmet stickers? Out. Ninth-year seniors? In. But plenty of
reminders show that the snack cracker in question is always a good idea.
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The College Football Playoff was founded in 2014 amid much contention, and Cheez-It has sponsored it since 2019. The
campaign acknowledges that, for college football fans, arguing about what’s good or bad for the game is almost as fun as the game itself.
Created by BBDO New York, the ads are running on
TV, CTV, OLV and social.
The packaging innovation includes resealable canisters for Cheez-It Original, Cheez-It Grooves Minis Sharp White Cheddar and Club Minis. Making snacks more
convenient and portable is another nod to a nation that snacks on the go.
"By bringing these popular Cheez-It and Club crackers to this grab-and-go format, we're giving people a simple way to
enjoy their favorites anywhere, anytime," Nicole Sorensen, vice president of marketing, crackers, says in the announcement.
Mars, which completed the Kellanova
acquisition in December, is privately held, but recent reports from publicly traded CPG companies show salty snacks are struggling as Americans either defect to healthier choices or trade down to
cheaper options. PepsiCo recently reported that sales in both its North American food business and Frito-Lay fell 2%. And that’s after it cut prices by up to 15% on products like Lay's, Doritos,
Cheetos and Tostitos.
And Campbell, owner of Goldfish crackers, Cape Cod potato chips and Bachman Pretzels, just posted a 12% drop in quarterly snack sales.