In the high-stakes theater of Super Bowl advertising, there are legacy brands that play it safe, and then there is Ferrara. On February 8, 2026, as the world tuned in for Super Bowl LX, one brand didn’t just air a commercial—it completed a three-year masterclass in category disruption.
We’re talking about Nerds. Specifically, the new Nerds Juicy Gummy Cluster.
If you told a candy executive five years ago that a “sleepy” 1980s brand would overtake Skittles to become the #1 sugar confection in America, they would have laughed. Yet, with a 1,700% sales increase since 2019 and a projected $1 billion revenue run rate, the joke is on the competition.
Today, we’re breaking down the “Taste Buds” campaign: the strategy, the celebrity synergy with Andy Cohen, and why this “multisensorial” approach is the new blueprint for CPG marketing.
The Strategic Pivot: Solving the “Mess” Factor
To understand why the 2026 Super Bowl ad worked, we have to look at the product architecture. For decades, Nerds were famous for their dual-chambered boxes of crunchy pebbles. They were iconic, sure, but they were also messy, difficult to share, and perceived as “just for kids.”
When Ferrara acquired the brand in 2018, they identified a massive opportunity in the “on-the-go” adult market. The solution? The Gummy Cluster. By enrobing a chewy center with those classic crunchy pebbles, they solved the portability issue while leaning into a massive Gen Z trend: Texture-heavy snacking. By 2024, Gummy Clusters accounted for a staggering 81.4% of all Nerds sales. The Super Bowl LX campaign wasn’t just about brand awareness; it was about launching the next evolution: The Juicy Gummy Cluster.
Product Innovation: Engineering the “Mega” Bite
The 2026 campaign centered on a feat of confectionery engineering. The Juicy Gummy Cluster adds a third textural dimension to the mix. Let’s look at the anatomy of what Ferrara calls the “Mega” bite:
- The Tangy Exterior: The classic, colorful, crunchy Nerds pebbles.
- The Chewy Middle: A strawberry-flavored gummy binder.
- The Liquid Core: A burst of “strawberry punch-flavored juice” that delivers an immediate shift in moisture and intensity.
This “four-dimensional” experience (Mega size, crunchy, gummy, and juicy) is designed to hit every sensory trigger. In a market where competitors are rushing to copy the “crunchy-gummy” format, Ferrara raised the bar with a liquid center—a manufacturing challenge that required specialized molds to ensure the “juice” stayed contained until the first bite.
The Andy Cohen Factor: Why He’s the Perfect “Taste Bud”
Choosing a celebrity for a $7 million+ 30-second spot is a game of demographic darts. You need someone who resonates with Gen Z but carries “purchasing power” with Millennials and Gen X.
Enter Andy Cohen.
The host of Watch What Happens Live and the architect of the Real Housewives empire was a calculated choice for three reasons:
1. The “Juicy” Alignment
Andy Cohen’s entire career is built on “juicy” news and gossip. By casting him as the “Taste Bud” (the supportive BFF to the anthropomorphic Gummy character), Ferrara created an instant linguistic bridge between the celebrity’s persona and the product’s new liquid core.
2. Universal Recognition
Data shows that 65% of Americans know Cohen. He represents a “tastemaker” status that mirrors the brand’s goal: transforming an ordinary snacking moment into an “extraordinary” experience.
3. The Bravo Ecosystem
The campaign didn’t start on Game Day. In the weeks leading up to Super Bowl LX, Cohen utilized his media empire to seed the brand. From “Bud Dials” teasers on social media to discussing the ad on the Today Show, Cohen provided a 360-degree PR blitz that traditional influencers simply can’t match.
Creative Breakdown: “Taste Buds” (A Polychromatic Pageant)
Produced by RESET with VFX by Framestore, the 30-second spot titled “Taste Buds” was a visual masterclass.
The narrative follows Cohen and Gummy as they prepare for a red-carpet debut. As Gummy undergoes a “Mega” transformation, the visual metaphor for the product’s architecture becomes clear. It’s vibrant, chaotic, and over-the-top—perfectly aligned with the Nerds brand identity.
Strategically aired in the second quarter, the spot captured the peak audience before halftime fatigue set in. It stood out in a sea of “unhinged” humor and bizarre imagery (like wet clumps of hair and papier-mâché heads seen in other 2026 ads) by remaining grounded in a clear product-led narrative.
The “Candytok” Effect: Seeding the Viral Moment
Ferrara didn’t leave the success of the Juicy Gummy Cluster to a single TV spot. Partnering with Day One Agency, they targeted the “Candytok” subculture on TikTok.
By seeding the product with influencers months before the game, they generated a 50% year-over-year growth in search volume for “Nerds Gummy Clusters” before the commercial even aired. This manufacturing of “velocity” ensured that when viewers saw Andy Cohen on their screens, the product was already a familiar, “must-try” item on their shopping lists.
The $1 Billion Blueprint: Final Thoughts
The Nerds Super Bowl LX campaign is a reminder that in the world of CPG, innovation and marketing must move in lockstep.
Ferrara didn’t just buy a celebrity; they engineered a product that justified the hype. They didn’t just air an ad; they built a multi-platform ecosystem that turned a candy launch into a cultural event.
The Lesson for Advertisers: If you want to overtake a market leader like Skittles, you can’t just be “sweet.” You have to be Mega, Crunchy, Gummy, and Juicy.
