01
U.S. Patent 6,251,466 · cocoa-on-cream editorial still
There is a chocolate on the shelf at Target.
You have walked past it every two weeks.
For four years.
It has a patent no one else can copy.
And a story nobody is telling.
From shelf to story.
A semester-long advertising portfolio for Brookside Chocolates. Four agency seats. Plus a fifth project for Herbert's Best Planet Gummi that proves the rest was not an accident.
A chocolate brand with 5,738 followers and eight weeks to fix it.
COMM 4320 · Advertising Portfolio · Spring 2026
The brief: turn a silent snack brand into something shoppers recognize before December.
02
The gap
Brookside already had the product story most brands would kill for: real fruit centers, dark chocolate, a patented process, and a price that beats the premium set.
The problem was not the candy. The problem was silence. An old Instagram, low awareness, and a shelf moment where shoppers had no reason to recognize the bag.
So this portfolio turns one semester into a single campaign case: find the gap, name the audience, buy the media, build the creative, then prove the range with a louder second brand.
Five projects · Brookside Chocolates + Planet Gummi
03
The work
Five projects move one problem from audit to audience, media, creative, and range.
U.S. Patent 6,251,466 · cocoa-on-cream editorial still
02
Sarah lifestyle portrait · Silver Lake sidewalk
03
8-week Gantt · TikTok / Instagram / In-Store
04
12-up contact sheet on cocoa
05
04
The proof
5,738
brookside instagram followers, february 2026
86
brookside posts ever
0
brookside posts since july 1, 2020
$0.84
brookside price per ounce
$3.14
skinnydipped price per ounce, the highest in the set
25%
who have heard of brookside (survey n=16)
6.3%
who have ever bought it
87.5%
who would try it once explained
0%
who said they wouldn't
100%
who discover new snacks in-store
87.5%
who use tiktok daily
62.5%
who use instagram daily
13
creators on the campaign
27
tiktok pieces over eight weeks
12
instagram pieces
15
in-store sampling days
$7,500
total working budget
1.7m
projected impressions ceiling across all channels
12
visual concepts in the contact sheet
3
hooks under ten words
5
pillars in the creative brief
46
sections in the deep dive
2:15pm
the payoff timestamp
1948
the year the mederer family started gummies
2003
the year herbert went into the candy hall of fame
1
spine sentence
05
The feed
chocolate
patent
pomegranate
acai
goji
blueberry
gluten-free
130 calories
resealable
holiday
Target
Costco
Sarah
permission
surprised
warm
earned
quiet
planet
bite
sour
liquid
core
cosmic
mission
NASA
World Market
weird
loud
proudly weird
tone
range
briefing
godspeed
"don't wanna risk it being gross"
"the price plus gluten-free would get me"
"less sugar, more reputable"
"I always grab what I know"
"yes, especially if it's healthier"
"real fruit"
"tastes like medicine"
"tired"
"decision fatigue"
"moral test"
"permission slip"
"actually tastes like chocolate"
"this shouldn't be 130 calories"
"wait that's actually hilarious"
"godspeed"
"make it make sense"
01THE PATENT
THE PATENT
U.S. 6,251,466
- Filed: March 8, 2000
- Granted: June 26, 2001
- Inventors: Denis McGuire · Edward Richard De Haan · Robert Hodge Clark
- Assignee: Brookside Foods, Ltd.
A process that turns concentrated fruit juice into a stable solid center that sits inside dark chocolate without breaking down or going soggy.
Three people in British Columbia spent the late 1990s figuring this out. They are the reason every Brookside piece tastes the way it does. No other chocolate company on Earth can legally make what comes next.
02THE FALL
THE FALL
1954
A small farm in Abbotsford, British Columbia opens as Brookside Farms. Local nuts. Local fruit.
1960
Brookside moves into candy and confectionery.
1988
Chocolate gets added to the line.
March 2000
Three inventors file for the fruit juice patent.
June 2001
The patent is granted.
Late 2000s
Brookside Foods Ltd. does roughly C$85 million a year in sales under President and CEO Ken Shaver.
December 8, 2011
The Hershey Company announces the acquisition.
January 19, 2012
The deal closes for C$175 million.
June 2016
Hershey shutters the original Abbotsford plant. 180 jobs gone. Production moves to St-Hyacinthe, Quebec and Robinson, Illinois.
July 2020
Brookside posts one final Instagram update: a #StopHateForProfit boycott announcement. Then silence.
Today
5,738 followers. 86 posts. Still surprisingly delicious. Still nobody is telling the story.
03THE QUIET PURCHASE
THE QUIET PURCHASE
Brookside pairs dark chocolate with exotic fruit-juice centers, such as goji, acai, blueberry and pomegranate, to create great-tasting treats, while delivering the benefits of flavanols and antioxidants.
John P. Bilbrey, Hershey President & CEO, December 2011
We're pleased that a company of Hershey's stature and excellence appreciates Brookside's growth, brand equity and people, as well as the great taste and potential of the Brookside product line.
Ken Shaver, Brookside Foods President & CEO
Per the client's RFP: Brookside intentionally does not advertise the Hershey connection. Consumers respond better when they see Brookside as its own company. So the Hershey connection lives in the boardroom. The bag stays the bag.
04THE THREE INVENTORS
THE THREE INVENTORS
- Denis McGuire · Lead inventor. Filed the patent application March 2000.
- Edward Richard De Haan · Co-inventor. Brookside Foods, Ltd.
- Robert Hodge Clark · Co-inventor. Brookside Foods, Ltd.
They built the process that the brand still runs on, in a town in British Columbia that no longer makes the chocolate.
05THE COMPETITORS · PRICE
THE COMPETITORS · PRICE
| Brand | Price per ounce |
|---|---|
| Brookside | $0.84 |
| Unreal Candy | $1.79 |
| Hu Chocolate | $2.03 |
| SkinnyDipped | $3.14 |
Brookside is winning on price.
Less than half of Hu. About a quarter of SkinnyDipped. Cheaper than the supposedly mass-friendly Unreal.
06THE COMPETITORS · REACH
THE COMPETITORS · REACH
| Brand | Instagram followers (Feb 2026) |
|---|---|
| Brookside | 5,738 |
| Unreal Candy | 125,000 |
| SkinnyDipped | 134,000 |
| Hu Chocolate | 329,000 |
And losing everywhere else.
86 posts. 5,738 followers. The last one was a hate-speech boycott announcement in July 2020. Hu has 57x more reach. SkinnyDipped has 23x. The shelf advantage is real. The awareness gap is the entire campaign.
07WHY THE COMPETITORS WIN
WHY THE COMPETITORS WIN
Hu Chocolate
329K followers
$2.03/oz
Founded 2012 NYC. Acquired by Mondelez in January 2021. Sold in 34,000+ stores.
"No Weird Ingredients. Ever." The clean-label benchmark of the category.
Weakness: Twice the price of Brookside. No fruit centers. Bar format is not poppable.
SkinnyDipped
134K followers
$3.14/oz
Founded 2016 Seattle by Val and Breezy Griffith, a mother-daughter team.
Built around the "thin dip" model and a $25,000 Female Founder Fund.
Weakness: Almond-based, not fruit-based. Roughly four times Brookside's per-ounce price. Different category, similar shelf.
Unreal Candy
125K followers
$1.79/oz
Founded 2011. Clean-label peanut butter cups, gems, pretzels.
Tom Brady, Gisele, and Matt Damon backed the relaunch in 2014. Mission: "Unjunk the world."
Weakness: No fruit. No superfood story. Still more expensive than Brookside per ounce.
Price per Ounce
Brookside owns the price advantage
Instagram Followers
Brookside has the smallest voice
08THE GHOST ACCOUNT
THE GHOST ACCOUNT
- 5,738 followers
- 86 posts
- Last post: July 1, 2020
- We're taking a break. In an effort to make a difference and be part of a positive change, we will be pausing all paid advertising for the month of July on Facebook and Instagram. We miss you already.
They never came back.
09THE GAP
THE GAP
25%
have heard of Brookside.
6.3%
have ever bought it.
87.5%
would try a dark chocolate snack with real fruit juice centers.
0%
said they wouldn't.
The interest was always there. The brand wasn't.
Primary research, February 2026. Survey N=16, plus 3 in-depth interviews. Los Angeles and Seattle.
Brand Awareness
Only 25% have heard of Brookside
Willingness to Try
87.5% would try, 0% refused
10MEET SARAH
MEET SARAH
Sarah
- 31 · Silver Lake, Los Angeles
- Marketing Manager at a mid-size SaaS company
- Household income $112K
- Apartment with one roommate
- Single, dating
- Wakes up at 6:45 already on TikTok
- Makes an iced oat milk latte at home to save $7
- Runs campaigns for a product she doesn't love
- Skips lunch about three days a week
- Crashes at 3 p.m. with a bag of stale candy-drawer Hershey's Kisses
- Wants a real treat. Not a multivitamin pretending to be one.
11A DAY IN HER LIFE
A DAY IN HER LIFE
6:45 a.m.Already scrolled TikTok before her feet hit the floor.
7:30 a.m.Iced oat milk latte at home. Saves $7.
8:45 a.m.At her desk. SaaS marketing campaigns. Back-to-back meetings.
3:00 p.m.The crash. Candy drawer has Hershey's Kisses and stale gum.
6:30 p.m.Yoga class she paid for in advance so she would actually go.
9:15 p.m.Netflix or Hulu. 90 minutes. TikTok during the credits.
11:00 p.m.Phone face-down. Alarm set for 6:45.
12THE TARGET CART
THE TARGET CART
The biweekly Sunday Target run:
- Oat milk
- RXBAR or Perfect Bar four-pack
- Liquid Death or Waterloo sparkling water
- Frozen Amy's burrito
- One clay face mask tube
- One unplanned treat
The unplanned treat is the impulse buy. Last month it was Hu dark chocolate hazelnut butter cups at $5.99. The month before it was SkinnyDipped peanut butter almonds at $5.49. She has walked past Brookside every single time. She has never picked it up.
She could not tell you why.
13WHAT KEEPS HER UP
WHAT KEEPS HER UP
Her rent went up $180. Her mom called last week and asked when she's moving home. Her best friend from college just got engaged. Sarah isn't unhappy. She's tired. She's tired of decision fatigue, tired of optimizing every single choice, tired of food being a moral test. She wants a snack that doesn't require her to read the back of the bag for three minutes before it goes in the cart.
14THREE VOICES
THREE VOICES
I always grab what I know. Don't wanna risk it being gross.
Participant A · 20 · College student · Discord voice chat
The price plus gluten-free and fruit juice would get me.
Participant B · 28 · Tech worker · In person
Yes, especially if it's healthier, less sugar, more reputable.
Participant C · 56 · University professor · FaceTime
Three people. Three ages. Same answer about how they find new chocolate: they have to see it. Either on a shelf, or in someone they trust.
15WHERE THEY DISCOVER
WHERE THEY DISCOVER
100%
discover new snacks in-store.
87.5%
use TikTok daily.
62.5%
use Instagram daily.
75%
shop Target at least twice a month.
The path is shelf, then phone, then back to shelf. Skip any of those three and the campaign breaks.
Where the Audience Lives
Daily touchpoints with Sarah's segment
16THE INSIGHT
THE INSIGHT
Health-conscious adults are exhausted by food morality.
They do not want chocolate that pretends to be medicine. They want chocolate that is genuinely better than most of what's on the shelf, priced like it wants to be tried, and served by a person who looks like them.
The brand that wins this audience does not preach. It hands them a permission slip.
17THE BIG IDEA
THE BIG IDEA
The chocolate you want, with the fruit you can actually taste.
Brookside's current line is "Surprisingly Delicious." The line still works. It just needed a 2026 reframe. Surprising not because it's better for you. Surprising because it actually tastes like real fruit, costs less than half of Hu, and lands at 130 calories for a serving that doesn't feel like a serving.
The five pillars
What makes Brookside impossible to copy and easy to remember.
01
The Uncopyable Core
Real fruit juice centers, made with U.S. Patent No. 6,251,466. No other brand can copy it.
02
Dark Chocolate Alchemy
Dark chocolate plus superfoods. Acai, pomegranate, goji. The flavor profile feels unique and premium.
03
Clean and Conscious
Gluten-free, kosher, 130 calories per 12-piece serving.
04
Affordable Luxury
Premium without the premium price. $0.84 per ounce against Hu at $2.03, SkinnyDipped at $3.14, Unreal at $1.79.
05
Built for Gifting
Holiday gifting and sharing in a resealable bag. The 43.8% favorite gift format in the survey.
18THE BRIEF
THE BRIEF
Client
Brookside Chocolates. Founded 1954 in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Acquired by The Hershey Company January 19, 2012 for C$175 million. The Hershey connection is intentionally invisible to the consumer per client RFP.
Product
Dark Chocolate Acai & Blueberry and Dark Chocolate Pomegranate. 7 oz resealable pouch. $6.29 retail at Target. Gluten-free. Kosher. 130 calories per 12-piece serving. Real fruit juice centers made with U.S. Patent No. 6,251,466.
Background
Brookside has the lowest price-per-ounce in its competitive set ($0.84 vs Hu $2.03, Unreal $1.79, SkinnyDipped $3.14) and the only patented fruit-juice-center process in the category. It also has 5,738 Instagram followers, 86 posts, and a feed that has not been touched since July 1, 2020. The shelf advantage is enormous. The awareness is missing.
Problem
Only 25% of the target audience has heard of Brookside. Only 6.3% has ever bought it. But 87.5% would try it once they understand what it is, and 0% would refuse. The barrier is not the product. The barrier is that nobody is telling the story.
Audience
Sarah and her segment. Adults 25 to 44, slight female lean, shopping Target and Costco weekly or biweekly, eating chocolate multiple times a week, TikTok-first and Instagram-second, tired of food morality, 100% discover new snacks in-store.
Insight
Health-conscious adults are exhausted by food morality. They do not want chocolate that pretends to be medicine. They want chocolate that is genuinely better than most of what's on the shelf, priced like it wants to be tried, and recommended by a person who looks like them.
Single-minded proposition
The chocolate you want, with the fruit you can actually taste.
Reasons to believe
- U.S. Patent No. 6,251,466. No other chocolate brand can legally make this fruit-juice-center process.
- Real fruit. Acai, pomegranate, goji, blueberry. The flavor is provable on first bite.
- 130 calories per 12-piece serving. Gluten-free. Kosher.
- $0.84 per ounce. Less than half of Hu, about a quarter of SkinnyDipped, cheaper than Unreal.
- 43.8% of the survey said a resealable bag is their preferred holiday gifting format. Brookside's 7 oz bag is exactly that.
Tone of voice
Warm, direct, a little surprised at itself. Reads like Sarah's coworker telling her about the snack in line at Starbucks. Never clinical. Never preachy. Never a marketing department.
Business objectives
- Lift aided brand awareness from 25% to 45% in the target segment.
- Grow Instagram from 5,738 to 25,000+ followers.
- Drive a 12% sell-through lift at participating Target and Costco locations during the 8-week flight.
Success metrics
Aided-awareness pre and post survey. Instagram follower growth. Reel and TikTok view-through rate, save rate, share rate. Sell-through data from participating Target and Costco doors. Sampling-table conversion.
Mandatories
Brookside wordmark on every asset. "Made with Real Fruit Juice" and "Gluten Free" front-of-pack callouts on retail. No mention of Hershey. Every claim must be backed by a specific, provable fact.
Constraints
Total working budget $7,500. 8-week flight, October 15 to December 25, 2026. No paid media on platforms outside TikTok and Instagram. No celebrity talent. No professional studio shoots. All creator content shot in-home or in-store on iPhone.
Deliverables
27 TikTok pieces. 12 Instagram pieces. 15 in-store sampling days at Target and Costco. 1 holiday gift guide carousel. 1 outreach email template. 1 set of in-store signage and recipe cards.
Risks and mitigations
Creators who pull out late: $550 backup line in the budget covers replacements. Sampling locations that decline: leverage Hershey's existing rep network to secure alternates. Algorithm shift on TikTok mid-flight: Instagram and in-store are the safety net, not the lead.
The promise
When this brief becomes a campaign, Sarah picks up the bag. That is the only outcome that matters.
19THE BUDGET
THE BUDGET
$7,500
- TikTok · $4,950 · 66% · Where 87.5% of the audience already lives. Food content averages 5.60% engagement vs. 3.70% platform-wide.
- Instagram · $1,600 · 21% · 62.5% of the audience uses it. Reels reach 55% non-follower views.
- In-Store · $400 · 5% · 100% of the survey said they discover new snacks in-store. Cheapest placement, highest support.
- Backup · $550 · 7% · Creator replacement, shipping, tracking tools. Plans bend. Budgets shouldn't break.
$7,500 Working Budget
TikTok$4,950 · 66%
Instagram$1,600 · 21%
In-Store$400 · 5%
Backup$550 · 7%
20THE 8-WEEK GANTT
THE 8-WEEK GANTT
Prep · Oct 15 to Oct 31Outreach. Contracts. Product ships to all 13 creators. Vistaprint orders. Hershey rep coordination.
Week 1 · Nov 1Launch. Creator 1 TikTok taste-test. Creator 1 IG holiday flat-lay Reel. Materials hit stores.
Week 2 · Nov 8Build. Creator 1 Stories. Creator 2 TikTok. Friday-Sunday in-store sampling begins.
Week 3 · Nov 15Build. Creator 2 Stories. Creator 3 TikTok. Creator 2 hot chocolate Reel. Sampling.
Week 4 · Nov 22 · ThanksgivingCreator 3 Stories. Creator 4 TikTok. Creator 2 Thanksgiving Stories. Black Friday sampling weekend.
Week 5 · Nov 29Peak. Creator 4 Stories. Creators 5 and 6 TikTok. Creator 3 stocking stuffer Reel. Sampling.
Week 6 · Dec 6Holiday push. Creators 5 and 6 Stories. Creator 7 TikTok. Creator 3 Stories. Creator 4 holiday board Reel. Sampling.
Week 7 · Dec 13Gift guide. Creator 7 Stories. Creators 8 and 9 TikTok. Creator 4 last-minute gift Stories. Final sampling weekend.
Week 8 · Dec 20 · ChristmasCreators 8 and 9 Stories close. Final sampling pre-Christmas. Campaign wraps.
Total output27 TikTok pieces. 12 Instagram pieces. 15 in-store sampling days. 1.1M to 1.7M projected impressions across all channels (TikTok 900K-1.35M, Instagram 200K-300K, in-store 40K-60K).
21WHY TIKTOK CARRIES THE WEIGHT
WHY TIKTOK CARRIES THE WEIGHT
87.5%
of the target audience uses TikTok daily.
5.60%
average engagement on TikTok food content. The platform average is 3.70%.
48%
of Gen Z discovered new food products on TikTok in 2026.
898,100
average views per food post.
If your audience is on the For You page and your competitors are not, you don't need a bigger budget. You need 9 creators and 8 weeks.
9 micro-creators, 10K to 50K followers, food/snack niche. Each posts 1 taste-test video plus 2 Stories. $550 flat per creator. Reach estimate 900K to 1.35M.
Daily TikTok Usage
87.5% of the audience uses TikTok daily
Engagement Rate
TikTok food beats the platform average
22IDEAL CREATOR PROFILE
IDEAL CREATOR PROFILE
- 25K to 40K followers
- 6%+ engagement rate (above the 5.60% food content average)
- Posts taste-test or snack review content at least twice a week
- Audience is 60%+ ages 18 to 34
- 70%+ U.S. based
- At least 55% female
- No competing chocolate brand partnerships in the last 90 days
Find them on the TikTok Creator Marketplace. Filter by Food & Beverage, U.S., 10K to 50K followers. Send a direct message with the brief. Ship product via USPS Priority. Approve content. Post on schedule.
23WHY INSTAGRAM IS THE BACKUP
WHY INSTAGRAM IS THE BACKUP
62.5%
of the target audience uses Instagram.
4.8%
average engagement on Reels for 10K to 100K creators.
55%
of Reels views come from non-followers.
23 to 31%
engagement bump on posts with clear CTAs.
The plan. 4 micro-creators. Each posts 1 Reel plus 2 Stories. $400 flat. Reach estimate 200K to 300K.
Instagram Usage Among Target Audience
62.5% use Instagram
Reels Views Breakdown
55% from non-followers
Engagement Bump with Clear CTAs
23% → 31% engagement increase
24THE AISLE
THE AISLE
100%
of the survey said they discover new snack brands in-store.
This is not 99 percent. It is every single person. So the cheapest line in the budget is also the most important. $200 in signage. $200 in recipe cards from Vistaprint. Five Friday-to-Sunday weekends at high-traffic Target and Costco locations. Sampling labor through Brookside's existing Hershey relationship.
Why now. Costco foot traffic was up 6.0% YoY heading into Q4 2025. Nearly half of Costco's new members are under 40. The shoppers we want are already on the floor. We just need to put a piece of chocolate in their hand.
Reach estimate. 40K to 60K shoppers. Effective cost per shopper: roughly $0.007.
25LOOK & FEEL
LOOK & FEEL
Now that we know who Sarah is and where to meet her, we can make things she will actually stop scrolling for.
26COLOR PALETTE
COLOR PALETTE
27TYPOGRAPHY
TYPOGRAPHY
The chocolate you want, with the fruit you can actually taste.
Warm, direct campaign copy keeps the story clear: patented fruit centers, dark chocolate, a shelf advantage, and a shopper who needs one simple reason to pick up the bag.
PRICE PER OUNCE · FEB 2026 · SURVEY N=16
28THE 12 VISUAL CONCEPTS
THE 12 VISUAL CONCEPTS
This or That split poll · IG Story · two flavors side by side, tap left or right.
IG STORY
Interactive poll format that lets the audience choose their favorite flavor in real time.
5 Days Until the Holidays · Polaroid countdown · IG Feed during peak week.
IG FEED
Beautiful Polaroid-style countdown posts building excitement for the holiday season.
Editorial hero · actually tastes like chocolate · full-bleed dark brown, single bag, Fraunces italic.
IG FEED
Luxurious hero image with rich dark background and elegant typography.
Choose Your Love slider · IG Story slider between Acai Blueberry and Pomegranate.
IG STORY
Fun slider poll that encourages audience to pick their preferred flavor.
Team Red or Team Blue · IG Story poll · jersey-style color split.
IG STORY
Sports-style team poll with bold color blocking for maximum engagement.
Holiday Collection · creator-shot flat lay · Weeks 6 and 7.
IG FEED
Stunning flat-lay photography showcasing the full holiday collection.
“I’m never eating regular chocolate again” · TikTok talking head · 9-15 sec, natural light.
TIKTOK
Authentic reaction video in natural light with a strong testimonial hook.
“Chocolate companies don’t want you to know” · TikTok conspiracy hook · on-screen product lift.
TIKTOK
Viral conspiracy-style hook that lifts the product dramatically on camera.
The Holiday Gift Guide · IG carousel · 6 slides · Brookside as the coworker gift under $10.
IG FEED
6-slide carousel positioning Brookside as the perfect affordable coworker gift.
“This shouldn’t be 130 calories” · TikTok Reel · most-saved format in creator testing.
TIKTOK
Surprise-value Reel that highlights the low calorie count in a memorable way.
Taste Test, Both Flavors storyboard · TikTok · 2x2 reaction grid across both flavors. Skeptical, bite, react, second flavor. Raw UGC style, no overlays.
TIKTOK
Raw 2x2 grid taste test with authentic reactions — no text overlays, pure UGC energy.
Pomegranate Reveal storyboard · TikTok · 2x2 grid. Skeptical, point, grab piece, close-up of fruit center cross-section. Same raw aesthetic.
TIKTOK
Dramatic pomegranate reveal in raw 2x2 grid format with satisfying fruit center close-up.
This or That split poll
5 Days Until the Holidays
Editorial hero
Choose Your Love slider
Team Red or Team Blue
Holiday Collection
“I’m never eating regular chocolate again”
“Chocolate companies don’t want you to know”
The Holiday Gift Guide
“This shouldn’t be 130 calories”
Taste Test, Both Flavors storyboard
Pomegranate Reveal storyboard
29THREE TIKTOK HOOKS
THREE TIKTOK HOOKS
I'm never eating regular chocolate again.
Chocolate companies don't want you to know this exists.
This shouldn't be 130 calories.
30ONE INSTAGRAM CAPTION
ONE INSTAGRAM CAPTION
ok but hear me out. real fruit juice centers. dark chocolate that doesn't taste like a multivitamin. 130 calories a serving. $6.29 at Target. i don't know who needs to hear this but apparently it's been sitting on the shelf the whole time 🥲
#Brookside #DarkChocolate #HolidaySnacking #RealFruit #TreatYourself
That's the voice. Tired, warm, a little surprised at itself.
31THE OUTREACH EMAIL
THE OUTREACH EMAIL
Subject: Brookside x [Creator Name] Holiday Collab?
Hi [Creator Name],
I'm reaching out from Brookside Chocolates. Your [snack reviews / Target hauls] fit perfectly with our holiday campaign, and we'd love to send you both flavors (Pomegranate and Acai & Blueberry) to try on camera. Each piece has a real fruit juice center, 130 calories, gluten-free, available at Target for around $6.
The ask: 1-2 short-form videos in your own style. No scripts. Just your honest reaction. We offer product gifting plus a flat fee and can set up an affiliate code if you prefer.
Interested? Reply and we'll get it set up.
32THE PAYOFF
THE PAYOFF
Saturday, December 13. 2:15 p.m. Target on Sunset.
Sarah just watched a TikTok on her way in. Creator in a cream polo, messy bun, holding up a red Brookside bag and saying this shouldn't be 130 calories. The creator looked like Sarah's coworker.
Sarah rounds the candy aisle. She sees the red Pomegranate bag. She recognizes it. She pauses. She reads the front. She turns it over. Real fruit juice centers. $6.29 for 7 ounces, half of what she pays for Hu.
She puts it in the cart.
A silent shelf brand became a remembered choice.
She picked it up. The campaign worked.
33WHY PLANET GUMMI
WHY PLANET GUMMI
For four projects, the brief asked me to be Sarah's voice in the aisle. Quiet, warm, earned. Project 5 asks for the opposite. The fifth client is Herbert's Best Planet Gummi, and the entire job there is to be loud, absurd, and proudly weird.
Why I picked Planet Gummi, and why I believe it is the right fifth project.
I picked a small brand I genuinely love over a famous one for three reasons.
One. It is the strongest possible tone-range proof. The first four projects all live in the same register: measured, research-backed, premium, warm. A second project in that same lane would not show range. Planet Gummi is the opposite end of the spectrum. Loud type, neon cyan, mock NASA briefings, hooks that read like a 19-year-old's For You page. If a creative agency hires me, they need to know I can hit a measured tone and a chaotic one on demand. Putting both on one portfolio is the cleanest way to prove that without making the recruiter scroll twice.
Two. The story is real and nobody is telling it. Herbert Mederer was inducted into the Candy Hall of Fame in 2003. His father Willibald "Willy" Mederer founded the Mederer Group in 1948. Herbert is the man who put gummy candy on the North American shelf in the 1980s through Trolli and eFrutti. Planet Gummi is one of his products. It is sold at Walmart, World Market, and Amazon for under $4. Creators on TikTok already bite it on camera, the liquid sour center bursts on screen, and the algorithm rewards it. Herbert's Best is not driving the trend. The brand is watching the train leave the station and waving from the platform. That is the same exact setup as Brookside: heritage brand, real product, viral potential, no voice. The thesis of the entire portfolio is find the brand the algorithm is already begging for and give it a voice. Planet Gummi proves that thesis works in a second category, with a totally different tone.
Three. It is strategic for the agencies I want to work for. I am targeting CPG and snack-and-beverage creative shops. Those agencies show new hires Brookside-style work to verify research grounding and brief discipline. They show Planet Gummi-style work to verify cultural reflexes and creator instincts. Putting both on one site means a single recruiter can verify both skills in one scroll, without me having to take a second interview to make the same point. That is the strategy.
I chose the role I love most for both projects: Art Director and Copywriter. The first four projects prove I can hit the measured tone. This one proves I can hit any other tone the work needs.
Mission Briefing
Bite into the planet.
Outta this world.
The two submitted taglines for Herbert's Best Planet Gummi. The product is the spectacle. A spongy earth-shaped gummy with a liquid fruit center that bursts on the first bite. The brand has heritage from the family who brought gummy candy to North America. The job is to organize the chaos already happening on TikTok into something that looks intentional.
35THE FAMILY BEHIND IT
THE FAMILY BEHIND IT
1948
Willibald "Willy" Mederer founds the Mederer Group in Germany.
Mid-1970s
His son Herbert joins the family business.
1984
Herbert takes over as acting owner.
Early 1980s
Herbert brings gummy candy to North America through Trolli and eFrutti.
1993
Herbert receives the Candy Kettle Award.
2003
Herbert is inducted into the Candy Hall of Fame.
The man who put gummies on the North American shelf has a planet-shaped candy with a sour liquid center sitting in his catalog. TikTok found it before the brand did.
36THE PRODUCT
THE PRODUCT
- Pack2.6 oz · 4 individually wrapped gummies
- InsideSour liquid fruit core
- OutsideSpongy blue-green shell
- AllergensFat free · gluten free · nut free
- Made inSpain
- Sold atWalmart · World Market · Amazon
- PriceAbout $3.50, under $4 at Walmart
37THE INSIGHT
THE INSIGHT
Planet Gummi is already a viral liquid-center reveal on TikTok. Creators bite the earth-shaped gummy, the fruit liquid bursts out on camera, and the algorithm rewards it. Herbert's Best is not the one driving the trend. The brand is watching the train leave the station and waving from the platform. The entire strategy is to grab the rope and hold on.
38WHO GETS THE BRIEFING
WHO GETS THE BRIEFING
Primary
Gen Z candy fans, 16 to 27.
97% use social media as their main source of shopping inspiration (Britopian, 2025). 73% report they almost always try new flavors (MorganMyers, 2026). They are already on the bite-reveal trend. Already tagging friends. They do not need to be sold on the product. They need a brand voice worth following.
Secondary
Millennial nostalgia buyers, 28 to 40.
Bought Planet Gummi at gas stations in 2004. Saw it at World Market last week. Will buy a 4-pack for a birthday gift, a road trip, or to film their partner's reaction.
39THE 5 GUMMI CONCEPTS
THE 5 GUMMI CONCEPTS
01
Mission Briefing
Mock NASA doc
Product specs in a midnight glass panel with platinum labels.
02
Anatomy of a Planet
IG carousel · 6 slides
Shell thickness, core volume, pH, calorie count, fuse time, reaction type.
03
Reaction grid
Creator wall
10 creators, one bite each, 10-panel wall on cosmic-purple background.
04
Can you handle it?
Story poll
Two-tap interactive with a platinum countdown stinger.
05
World Market endcap
Print ad
Full-bleed planet, cream moon-type, single headline.
40GUMMI HOOKS
GUMMI HOOKS
Do not bite this on camera. Do it anyway.
A sour so sour it has a center of gravity.
NASA called. They want their planet back.
One small bite for you. One giant sour for mankind.
My mouth is not ready. My mouth is never ready.
41GUMMI COPY SAMPLE
GUMMI COPY SAMPLE
Instagram caption
we shipped four planets to your local World Market. each one contains a sour liquid core that will tell you everything you need to know about yourself in under three seconds. godspeed 🌍⚡
ISM Cologne. (2025). Sweets Survey 2025: What Gen Z and millennials want.
#PlanetGummi #HerbertsBest #SourChallenge #OuttaThisWorld #CandyTok
Print headline · World Market endcap
Earth, but with a sour liquid center you were not briefed on.
Influencer outreach
Hi [name],
Your [specific recent video] is exactly the kind of content Planet Gummi was made for. Quick on us: Herbert's Best makes Planet Gummi, an earth-shaped gummy with a liquid sour core. The Mederer family literally brought gummy candy to North America in the 1980s. Herbert was inducted into the Candy Hall of Fame in 2003. The brand has been around. Most people just find us through TikTok.
42WHY THIS SHOWS RANGE
WHY THIS SHOWS RANGE
Brookside asked for a quiet voice. Earned trust. Permission without preaching. Sarah at the Target shelf, calmer than when she found the post.
Herbert's asked for the opposite. Loud. Absurd. Proudly weird. A 19-year-old on TikTok saying wait, that's actually hilarious and hitting share before the video is over.
Both tones are the job. That's what a portfolio is for.
43SOURCES
SOURCES
Academic and Book Sources
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Total: 99 unique sources across all five assignments.