Why we're candy crushing on SweeTARTS (and Gen Z should be, too)

Even a candy born in the Baby Boomer era can reinvent itself for Gen Z. Here's why we think SweeTARTS' new "Be Both" campaign is seriously sweet—and why Gen Z is bound to eat it right up.

Everyone loves a good throwback. But I *especially* love throwbacks when they’re done right for Gen Z.

If I’m honest, it’s not terribly often that I fall head-over-heels in love with a brand campaign. But when it comes to SweeTARTS’ new "Be Both™" campaign, which celebrates the multi-dimensionality of its products AND our own candy crush—Gen Z—I’m ready to place them at the top of my list of brands doing Gen Z right.

Hats off to Duncan Channon, SweeTARTS’ new creative agency—who has totally read our minds. They’ve done their homework and injected a new, vibrant visual identity that’s as forward-thinking as the campaign’s creative itself.

By constructing a colorful and animated world of people who appear to be one way but are much more than what they seem, they’ve essentially embodied Gen Zs themselves. After all, Zs are known for embracing individuality, and they don’t particularly like being pigeon-holed or categorized. The video spots (Gen Z’s preferred content medium) really bring the concept to life. Have a look for yourself.

The individual spots are short, 15-second clips, catering to Gen Zs' notoriously short attention spans. 

The duality of the characters' identities represents the fluid way in which Gen Zs embrace the coexistence of contradictions—and it perfectly mirrors SweeTARTS' diversity of flavors, textures and forms, which are visually woven throughout the spots.

While SweeTARTS may still remind me of pinatas, goodie bags and the Halloween jaunts of my youth, they now hold an even more special place in my heart—as a candy that’s both sweetly nostalgic AND just right for today’s youth.