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College football season’s kickoff means the return not just of on-field contests but also off-the-field controversy. Taking in websites, shows and podcasts about the sport is more likely to lead to discussions of roster violations, replay reviews and name, image and likeness deals than final scores and conference rankings.
It’s those fan discussions that are at the center of a new campaign from Cheez-It that introduces the Couch Committee: a group of armchair analysts who debate college football hot topics in a series of ads that launched on Sept. 6. Created with agency BBDO New York, the campaign includes 6-, 15- and 30-second spots that are airing nationwide on TV, connected TV, online video and social channels.
“Nothing sparks more conversation and debate than college football. There are endless topics and hot takes from pundits and passionate fans alike,” said Dan Kelly, executive creative director and executive vice president at BBDO New York, in a statement. “With the Cheez-It Couch Committee, we didn’t want to just enter the conversation, we wanted to create an iconic device to help feed that conversation even further.”
The Couch Committee is made up of a diverse group, with generic consumers joined by some outsized characters including a coach, a bolo-tie-wearing, big-money donor, an elderly player still in his leatherhead gear and helmet-clad brand mascot Ched-Z. Each spot begins with a clarion call and an overhead shot of the committee, who then use “In” or “Out” signs to weigh in on different topics, including ninth-year seniors, helmet stickers, moneyed donors and how to best eat the clock, in a comic fashion.
Cheez-It, owned by Mars after the company’s acquisition of Kellanova, has been an official sponsor of the College Football Playoff since the 2019-20 season. The brand’s college football marketing, which has included a “Feelin’ the Cheeziest” platform that launched in 2022 and the return of its Prince Cheddward mascot at a 2025 bowl game, has continued to evolve.
“How do we deepen our connection with fans by integrating ourselves into these conversations that happen on the couch with friends before, during, around and after the game, and then how do we pull that through in a way that really ties to our business objective of getting product in hands and in mouths?” said Nicole Sorensen, vice president of marketing for Mars’ cracker brands, of the campaign’s guiding insights.
Billion-dollar brand assets
The Couch Committee campaign began with the creation of the setting for ad creative, which revolves around a Cheez-It-shaped couch. The conversation-starting piece of furniture is made of cheddar-hued leather with personal snack holders and recliners that provide “the perfect angle to watch college football,” according to a voice-over.
“As a brand marketer, it's a gorgeous way for us to subtly introduce some of our key distinctive brand assets,” Sorensen said. “We've created that whole environment that looks lived in, well loved and not stuffy.”
The couch is manned by a community of characters that are intended to feel like old friends who are free to have candid conversations, discussion and debates, but in a positive way. The characters span a range of personality types and archetypes to provide different perspectives on the question of the day.
“As a big brand, a billion-dollar brand, we have a wide audience, so we want to make sure any topics that we choose are also relevant to a more casual audience,” Sorensen said. “The intent is that you have topics that are relevant, interesting and authentic enough for those avid fans, but not so isolating that your casual fans aren't aware of it.”
Along with the Couch Committee, Cheez-It kicked off the college football season with the return of its “Pregame Speech” spot that many consumers associate with the sport, Sorensen explained. Publicis shop Starcom is handling media and ensuring that ads appear in relevant consumer contexts. The brand will show up on ESPN and on social channels including YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.
“Content is a piece of it, but placement is the other piece driving authenticity and the way we want to show up for fans,” Sorensen said.
