Spotted! Reese’s Puffs partners with Gen Z artists to reach Gen Z consumers

The brand's latest campaign features a Toronto streetcar takeover, an updated jingle and a streetwear collection.

Reese’s Puffs is launching a new campaign to celebrate Gen Z’s individuality and self-expression. The General Mills cereal brand aims to stay culturally relevant to that generation, as they are the ones who significantly influence household purchasing decisions, according to the company.

The “Feed Your Creativity” campaign shows ways to enjoy Reese’s Puffs through three emerging artists, who reimagine the brand’s cereals in their own mediums.

The brand partnered with graphic designer Arlin to wrap the inside and outside of a Toronto streetcar. Meanwhile, music producer 4Sante remixed the classic “Eat Em Up” jingle with modern beats. And rounding out the campaign was fashion designer Nandni, who crafted a streetwear collection using recycled materials, drawing inspiration from the cereal brand.

Emily Jones, senior director, connection planning at media agency UM Canada, tells MiC that this is the first time Reese’s Puffs partners with artists for a campaign in Canada. “Partnering with three young emerging artists enabled us to tap into these shared passions of music, art, and fashion by having Gen Zs create content for Gen Zs,” she says.

Meanwhile, the street car takeover allowed the brand to launch the campaign on a large scale, she says. “This in turn fueled our content program for the campaign, with live imagery of the in-market execution folded into video content to be leveraged across social media throughout the campaign.” The media plan also included social executions on TikTok and Snapchat, relying on artist-led hero content and behind-the-scenes snapshots of their individual creative process. Jones notes that the brand wanted to meet Gen Z’s where they are and connect with them in their language.

Marianella Aguilera, brand experience, associate manager at General Mills, says the partnership with the artists helps showcase the cereal as a brand that not only celebrates self-expression, but also sparks Gen Z’s creativity. “By driving brand desire and top-of-mind awareness for Reese’s Puffs cereal through creative and taste-forward messaging, we are tapping into that treat yourself and craving-oriented attitude demonstrated by this key audience to win at the shelf,” she adds.

The campaign is consistent with the brand’s positioning, which has focused on promoting the cereal as a breakfast staple. However, Aguilera notes that it takes a step further, making a nod to the brand’s iconic heritage and identity while portraying the cereal as a vehicle for self-expression.

Mediabrands Content Studio was behind the creative.