[ad_1]
It might be considered controversial that Tums, a 90-year-old mainstay in the stodgy over-the-counter healthcare category, has made a first-time alliance with online betting service DraftKings for a campaign pegged to Super Bowl 58.
But the executive who spearheaded the food-themed “Prop Bites” program said it “felt like the right connection” between two companies with similar goals—to enhance the fan experience.
Tums has been active around the Super Bowl for years—given that Big Game menus are heavy on greasy pizza, gut-busting nachos and fiery wings—but the marketing team decided to break new ground for a 2024 collaboration, per Jissan Cherian, senior director of the digestive health business unit at Tums’ parent Haleon.
“We thought about where our consumers were, especially younger ones, and areas like sports betting and fantasy football are such rich territories,” Cherian said during ADWEEK’s Outlook 2024 conference in New York. “And we felt like there was an unmet need.”
Though it’s part of the digestive health segment, not necessarily known for envelope-pushing communications, Tums “is a fun brand.” Even so, the DraftKings partnership was carefully considered because “it’s tough, it feels hard, it feels like, ‘Are we sure that’s the right place?’” Cherian said during a panel called “How to Take Creative Risks in a Risky and Uncertain Environment.”
Ultimately, the two brands have come together to create a gamefied website where consumers can vie for a chance to win part of a $10,000 prize. Players 18 and older can make free bets on popular game-day snacks and rituals. (They will wager on such topics as how many pizzas will be delivered before halftime or how much guacamole Americans will consume).
Comedian and TV star Desus Nice is the spokesman for the campaign, which will include a popup activation in Las Vegas to help kick off Super Bowl weekend. It’s another example of Tums continuing to reinvent its marketing message and showing up “where food and culture collide,” Cherian said.
Don’t be boring
Fellow panelist David Kolbusz, chief creative officer of ad agency Orchard—a finalist on ADWEEK’S Small Agency of the Year list in 2023—said Tums has an intuitive seat at the table, so to speak, at the big-tent sports event known for its “horrible food” and overstuffed partiers.
