Jif’s Super Bowl Ad Campaign Raises Awareness About Celery, A Forgotten Big Game Snack

Jif’s Super Bowl ad campaign aims to shed light on celery, a snack often overshadowed by traditional game day treats.

In a bid to address this long standing issue, Jif has teamed up with Instant Commerce leader Gopuff for this campaign. On the day of the Super Bowl, customers can visit the site to receive a complimentary jar of Jif delivered by Gopuff within minutes.

Christine Hoffman, Senior Director of Integrated Consumer Experience at The J.M. Smucker Co, highlighted the strategic insight behind their campaign. She pointed out that their creative team recognized a significant trend: despite over 1 billion wings being consumed on the day of the Big Game, a mere 14% of consumers actually desired the accompanying celery, leading to significant waste. The new campaign was created in partnership with PSOne, the Power of One solution for J.M. Smucker Co., led by creative agency BBH USA.

“We know that Jif can make any stick of celery a delicious and craveable snack. When consuming Jif, we want consumers to think beyond the traditional PB&J. This insight gave us a perfect opportunity to showcase Jif’s versatility,” she said.

Using platforms like Meta and TikTok, the brand leveraged the platform to engage consumers through a multi-channel strategy with #SaveTheCelery as its call to action for its campaign, Hoffman explains.

Additionally, Hoffman acknowledges the fragmented media landscape, so the brand focuses on reaching consumers across multiple channels to effectively connect wherever consumers are during the Super Bowl. The objective of this approach is to maximize consumer engagement and brand visibility across various digital platforms, ensuring maximum impact on target audiences.

In addition, Jif collaborated with country pop singer James Decker for this campaign, selecting her due to her affinity for Jif and her expertise in hosting game day parties, making her an ideal partner for the initiative. However, James Decker wasn’t the brand’s only collaborator, as they also enlisted the participation of NFL veteran and meme-king Spice Adams, current football player Juwan Johnson and his wife Chanen, and mega-influencer Thaddboi.

In a recent partnership, Jif sponsored the Truth or Dab segment on the viral wings show Hot Ones leading up to the Big Game. Former NFL player and social media personality Spice Adams faced challenging personal questions, with the option to reveal his secrets or choose the “Jif” pledge, saving the celery and enduring a mega-hot wing.

“Spice Adams was given the opportunity to “plead the Jif” on a tough question & Save the Celery by taking a bite of Jif on celery, perfectly playing into our campaign,” said Hoffman.

A QR code feature enabled consumers to access exclusive offers and content as part of the marketing initiative. Dolby also leveraged QR codes with its campaign featuring Jennifer Lopez during a playoff code. With the help of QR codes, both campaigns sought to engage their target audiences with distinctive and immersive experiences.

“We want to lean into technology where it makes sense along the consumer journey, which is why we partnered with Instant Commerce leader Gopuff to make it easy for consumers to order Jif for their game day party,” said Hoffman. “ Leveraging QR codes allows us to engage with consumers where they are ordering food, specifically wings for the Big Game, making it simple for them to incorporate Jif into their actions.”