Dive Brief:
- Bazooka, which is owned by private equity firm Apax Partners, is pitting mom influencers against one another in a social-first, multibrand campaign, according to information shared with Marketing Dive.
- “The Great Candy Battle: MomTok Edition” features “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” stars Jessi Draper and Mayci Neeley as they promote different brands in Bazooka’s portfolio. Whoever delivers a bigger August sales lift will receive a donation to the charity of their choice, but Bazooka intends to donate to both regardless of outcome.
- The campaign combines in-person activations with a social content series. The series is meant to play into the popularity of the Hulu reality series and the “MomTok” trend.
Dive Insight:
Bazooka’s latest multichannel campaign taps into MomTok drama in a month-long push to promote four of its most recognizable brands. By featuring Neeley and Draper, “The Great Candy Battle: MomTok Edition” straddles the increasingly blurry line between social media and TV stardom, reaching the creator audience looking for mom tips and tricks and the reality TV audience looking for fierce rivalry and competition.
The social content series also follows a wider industry shift towards branded media. As the fight for attention grows, branded media like movies and social series are able to promote brands in a way viewers might find interesting while avoiding traditional short-form advertisements many ignore.
“By handing the mic to Jessi and Mayci, two of the biggest breakout personalities and candy lovers to come out of MomTok, Bazooka Brands is proving that authentic, creator-fueled competition travels further than any traditional ad campaign,” said Dave Dreyer, CMO of Bazooka Brands, in press materials. “Programs like the Great Candy Battle help put our iconic brands back at the center of culture where they belong.”
The effort kicked off in early August in New York with three on-premise activations. Draper is promoting Ring Pop and Push Pop and Neeley is pushing Juicy Drop and Baby Bottle Pop. Both influencers appeared in Times Square, sampling products near billboards for the campaign. Draper went on the subway with Pushy, the Push Pop mascot, to conduct interviews and a flavor-guessing challenge. In Union Square, Neeley hosted a nightlife-inspired experience featuring Baby Bottle Pop products.
“The Great Candy Battle: MomTok Edition” will also have a presence in select retail stores and a pop-up in Salt Lake City later in the month.
MomTok has proven to be a popular and influential corner of the internet, with 11.7 million videos on TikTok alone. The internet subculture went mainstream with the premier of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" in 2024. The show documents the somewhat scandalous lives of some of the platform's most high-profile mommy influencers.
MomTok isn’t without its controversies. Taylor Frankie Paul, a prominent member of the cast, was set to be the star of ABC’s March 2026 season of “The Bachelorette.” However, the season was cancelled after a video of a violent argument between her and her then-boyfriend went viral on the internet. MomTok, and family vlogging in general, has also garnered criticism around child safety and exploitation, privacy and a lack of legal protection for the minors featured in the content.
Dreyer was appointed the CMO of Bazooka Brands in December, having most recently served as the top marketing executive of Starco Brands. The appointment comes as the candy maker looks to increase cultural relevance to promote long-term growth.
