SweeTARTS

The Objective

Driving mass awareness of SweeTARTS while fueling Gen Z’s creative self-expression

With its tasty portfolio of high-quality sweets, long-time candy maker SweeTARTS is an undeniable innovator in the CPG Food category. The brand now wanted to stay ahead of the curve and top of mind with audiences by leveraging the power of storytelling. Aiming to build an authentic connection with its core Gen Z audience and provide a platform to fuel their self-expression, the brand partnered with TikTok to tap into a niche where colorful creativity is flourishing: #FilmTok.

The Solution

Reinventing storytelling with a branded film festival

The SweeTARTS Film Fest on TikTok aimed to show that amazing storytelling isn't only in the hands of traditional filmmakers, but everyday creators too. SweeTARTS ensured that its four distinct film categories supported the brand's message that the world is more vibrant when people celebrate their individuality. Just like the brand's unexpected combination of sweet and tart, "Best Expression of Be Both," inspired users to showcase two distinct sides that are uniquely them. The remaining categories included "Best Storytime," "Best Use of Video Tools," and "Best Colorful Creation."

For each film category, SweeTARTS leveraged a Branded Mission, an industry-first ad solution that engages the community and inspires brand and creator collaboration. Creators who received the Mission entered the short film category of their choosing with the hashtag #SweeTARTSFilmEntry and @SweeTARTSCandy. SweeTARTS then boosted its favorite original submissions as In-Feed Ads to reach wider audiences. The brand also ensured mass reach and awareness of its campaign with a Top Feed Ad that introduced the film festival to the larger TikTok community. The campaign culminated in a live ceremony event on TikTok that recognized 6 winners.

SweeTARTS dazzled audiences with the first branded film festival on TikTok that redefined storytelling and filmmaking. Everyone has a story to tell, and the partnership between SweeTARTS and TikTok allowed the community to share theirs. Ultimately, TikTok's ad solutions enabled SweeTARTS to think outside the box with a trailblazing campaign that celebrated individuality and self-expression while driving awareness and excitement for the brand.

See below for a winning submission from TikToker @totallyflow.

The Results

A sweet victory

With the SweeTARTS Film Fest on TikTok, SweeTARTS successfully mobilized the creative energy of the platform's everyday short filmmakers and inspired a wave of brand love and awareness. The campaign — which featured five creator partnerships, four Branded Mission Hashtag Challenges, Top Feed, and supporting In-Feed Ads — earned more than 350 million impressions across TikTok and garnered additional coverage within earned media.

Users submitted over 2,000 short film entries, demonstrating the ability of platform creators to drive audience co-creation and proactive engagement. SweeTARTS' novel campaign idea also helped its Top Feed ad exceed TikTok's engagement rate benchmark by 70%. Finally, a post-campaign Brand Lift Study showed a significant lift in Ad Recall with TikTok's audiences, exceeding Kantar's CPG Food norms by 64%.

Coming off the sweet results of this campaign, SweeTARTS aims to continue championing innovative ad solutions, storytelling, and creativity on TikTok.