JELL-O is an iconic brand known for its gelatin and pudding snacks. Standing on the shoulders of 122 years of equity, JELL-O saw an opportunity to launch a product, JELL-O Play, that champions free-play and bolsters family time, two things that have been on the decline due to the popularity of instructive games, increased work hours for parents, and the omnipresence of technology. JELL-O Play is a toy that encourages imagination, fuels creativity, unites the family, and turns the kitchen into a playground. The goal of “The JELL-O Wobz” was to shift perception in both parents and kids from the idea that JELL-O is an antiquated snack to an edible toy, and to inspire audiences through the lens of JELL-O’s cultural purposes - celebrating free play and embracing imperfections.

With the goal in mind to celebrate JELL-O’s primary cultural purposes of embracing imperfections and championing free play, we developed a YouTube series called “The JELL-O Wobz”, which encouraged kids to think of the snack as a fun toy that allows them to explore their unique imaginations and embrace their creativity. Episode storylines were anchored in the theme “Wobble Your Own Way”, which unpacked relatable moments kids face when they feel insecure, helping them understand how to overcome these situations and feel confident in their own skin. Furthermore, the personalities of each Wobz character represented common identity types – adventurous, analytical, shy, spontaneous - allowing kids to draw a deeper connection to the series narrative. The idea was dual purposed in that it served not only as creative inspiration for kids, but also as the catalyst for parents to foster important dialog with around bullying and self-acceptance.

A staple brand in culture, JELL-O has high awareness; however, the rise of healthy challenger brands has led to decreased affinity for the iconic Kraft Heinz snack. Our greatest challenge was finding a way for a legacy brand to appeal to kids and parents in a new and relevant way in order to effectively shift perception. With “How to make Slime” as the #1 searched google term in 2017, we capitalized on this trend and built a series of episodes that visually represented the attributes and qualities of slime (colorful, playful, jiggly, imaginative, fun). The association to a beloved youth product helped us increase affinity among kids, while the subtle adult humor and quick-witted tone woven throughout the dialogue helped to appeal to parents too.

“The Wobz” was a layered partnership anchored in a fully-animated, YouTube series featuring 5 fictional characters all made from JELL-O Play. The series was supported by an integration into culture-driving youth show, Food Hacks for Kids, which allowed us to focus on product utility, showcasing how to recreate the Wobz characters with JELL-O Play. We produced 30+ social assets including memes and gifs, which drove character development and highlighted a range of creative things you can make with JELL-O Play. Leveraging large-scale family-focused influencers extended the ecosystem, scaling the series to connect with new audiences. Publishing the episodes on YouTube ensured reach against kids, while publishing to Amazon Prime Video brought parents down the funnel and closer to the point of sale. An always-on approach was accomplished through weekly episode release supported by a robust social programming schedule across the flight to fuel continuity for the campaign messaging.

The Wobz drove lifts for JELL-O in key brand metrics with increases in affinity, purchase intent, and familiarity by 25%, 19%, and 11% respectively. The series proved to effectively propel JELL-O Play’s cultural purpose as represented by 98% of kids choosing “being yourself is OK” as the top show theme. Playful, fun, and cool were among top words associated with the series, proving the content was successful in positively shifting perception of JELL-O from a snack to a toy. Audiences couldn’t get enough of The Wobz; 65% who played an episode watched through completion and 49% were likely to share the series with a friend. Furthermore, audiences created fandom sites and developed Wobz merchandise like coloring books, illustrating their love for the characters. The Wobz received 20+ press hits across trade outlets including Mediapost and Businesswire. The Wobz drove strong brand attribution, 98% associated JELL-O with the series after viewing.