Jif Peanut Butter wasn’t just featured in the lyrics of a new song from a rap legend; It was used to create the actual sound of the song, too.

As peanut butter became a more commoditized category, Jif faced huge pressure to connect with younger consumers. So we reinvented the traditional CPG marketing model and used culture itself as our media and message. Knowing music was central to our audience’s interests, we tapped into a heated rap rivalry and moved the conversation forward; Jif inspired a completely new sound from rap legend Ludacris, followed by countless fans trying it themselves.

In the U.S., Jif is the peanut butter category leader but was losing to brands that were outspending us on millennials. Data showed many former buyers moved away from Jif unconsciously, especially young consumers. The brand needed to do more to win over those younger households. After being outspent for over a year, Jif would have to find a way to breakthrough and reclaim relevance again. Our mission: Get today’s younger PB buyers to go nuts for Jif even as it was getting outshouted and outspent by its biggest rival. To not only reach but emotionally connect with our younger, more passionate peanut butter lovers meant engaging with their interests on platforms in which they actively participate.

To this generation, rap music is king. And in the past decade, a heated rivalry has emerged - lyrical rap vs. mumble rap. The latest generation of rappers, often referred to as “mumble rappers,” has been described as sounding like they rap with a mouthful of peanut butter.

So we thought: What if Jif, America’s biggest peanut butter brand, could get everyone to embrace it? And with that The Lil Jif Project was born.

We enlisted one of the world’s top lyrical rappers, Ludacris, and with the help of millennial rap star Gunna, recorded an original rap track with mumbled vocals that was later revealed to have been inspired by his inability to stop eating Jif Peanut Butter in the recording booth.

To get today’s PB lovers to go nuts for Jif, we had to engage with their culture and facilitate this conversation through the right talent. The Lil Jif Project provided a unique opportunity to find talent that went beyond your typical casting process. Not only did we need hero talent for our commercial, but we needed them to write, record and release a rap track in a style unfamiliar to them, prior to the commercial release. No big deal, right? Well, with an idea this ludicrous, it made sense to tap the shoulder of the man himself: Ludacris. Ludacris not only checked the box creatively, but he is an avid peanut butter lover. With authenticity at the core of this campaign, it was necessary to find not just a spokesperson for Jif but a true believer in the product.

Our plan had three parts:

1) Song Release: Ludacris, a self-proclaimed Jif-lover and legendary rapper, would release his first single in over six years; it wouldn’t sound like the old Ludacris, but instead have a modern trap beat and near-incomprehensible “mumbled” lyrics - A true departure from his traditional roots. The partnership was even teased in the lyrics within the song: “Spreading my gift like Jif.”

2) Reveal: After a weekend of rap fans debating over his new sound, Jif revealed that Ludacris’s new sound was caused by his not being able to resist a delicious mouthful of Jif, even while recording in the studio.

3) Invite fans to try rapping with a mouthful of Jif: To get Jif in the music scene on TikTok, Ludacris kicked off the #JifRapChallenge, inviting all TikTokers to rap with a mouthful of Jif.

The campaign resonated with the audience and rap community. Our story was covered in 211 media placements across hip-hop, lifestyle and trade, earning 345M impressions and was covered by every major hip-hop music outlet — important to note, we received absolutely no backlash for cultural appropriation, in fact, the brand received major props from the community for its humor and authenticity. Jif became the most talked about brand, more than doubling Skippy’s share of voice, seeing a +148% branded mentions vs. previous 2-week average. Branded mentions didn’t include TikTok, which saw over 7.3B total views, 3x the expected views based on spend and 4x engagement vs. the benchmark. The biggest testament to the success of the campaign was the business impact. Despite a category contraction, Jif boosted share by 3.4 pts at the expense of Private Label and Skippy, giving it the highest category share in over 10 years.