From epic TV series to worldwide phenomenon, Breaking Bad is one of the most successful TV shows of all time.

Frito Lay’s PopCorners partnered with the show’s creators and talent to bring the show to life. By pooling the talent of cast and crew, we turned branded content into a global frenzy with fans delighting in the launch of a new flavor of PopCorners.

The campaign aligned the brand message and the delivery mechanism perfectly, tapping into the mega-fandom of Breaking Bad ensured massive organic coverage for the brand and the show, bringing millions of intrigued fans into contact with

In short, we wanted to get tongues wagging, penetrate new households, and sell a few packs along the way.

Oh, and we wanted to create a cultural phenomenon… Did we mention that?

To go beyond the expected, we spread our message far and wide, and featuring a commercial during the Super Bowl seemed like a natural choice. Knowing the sheer number of people who would have their eyes glued to the TV, meant the commercial had to be fun, punchy, and impactful.

Enter Breaking Bad. More than a TV series, an entertainment behemoth, we developed a campaign that had Breaking Bad fans fiendish for more.

Whether it was using the original cast and crew, staying true to the narrative, or using real props, people loved it. As content was shared far and wide, record-breaking results kept flooding in.

Well, when your product is this good, what do you expect?

Did you know Breaking Bad is one of the most talked about TV shows on social media ever? We did.

Based on three iconic episodes; “Pilot” (S01E01); “A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal” (S01E07); and “4 Days Out” (S02E09), we drew loyal Breaking Bad fans back into the world of the show. Leveraging relationships with the original cast and the show’s director, we got the gang back on board to build an authentic commercial that Breaking Bad fans and not-so-fans alike would revel in.

To build community, we launched with teasers on social media, released over time to keep the buzz buzzing. The cast were heavily involved in this process and were active in the social strategy. This built further excitement from the dedicated fans.

Even once the commercial had aired, we didn’t stop! With people still reeling with enthusiasm, we shared further content on social media to prolong the hype.

When we began work with the original cast and crew, it was evident that they loved the idea both from a creative and fan-service standpoint. Aaron Paul, who plays Jesse Pinkman and Bryan Cranston who plays Walter White jumped at the chance to work together again and relive the legendary episodes.

To encourage some better life choices, we substituted the main *ahem* product… that lives at the core of the show’s identity for PopCorners. The discerning Walter White discusses the benefits of PopCorners with Jesse Pinkman in the same manner he would his previous business endeavors, thus faithfully capturing all the hallmarks of the original series.

Fans even turned their hand to producing content to share across a multitude of social media platforms. By providing snippets that could be overlayed, duetted, and tweaked, fans were let loose to create their own assets that would amplify the message.

Since we were borrowing equity from Breaking Bad, we needed to ignite the fan base through an authentic integration, rather than coming off as a sell-out. This was achieved by using the original RV from the show (bullet holes and all!), meticulous location scouting to mimic the Albuquerque dessert, and used original props and wardrobe.

Further to walking the walk, we had to talk the talk. This was achieved by consulting with original script writers, working closely with Vince Gilligan, the show’s director and co-creator, and - of course - featuring Walt, Jesse and Tuco. They welcomed the opportunity to collaborate and give something back to fans, who loved it!

The campaign aligned the brand message and the delivery mechanism perfectly. Tapping into the mega-fandom of Breaking Bad ensured organic coverage, bringing millions of intrigued fans into contact with PopCorners in a harmonious way.

PopCorners generated billions of earned impressions across 1,625 media placements, and was the #1 talked about brand on Reddit leading up to the Super Bowl.

We also appeared in more Super Bowl headlines than any other advertiser brand and ranked #5 on USA Today Ad Meter.

We had a 514% total follower increase:

52% Instagram

8,130% TikTok

528% Twitter

This growth was partly fueled by high engagement in the comment section on YouTube as we generated 10 times more engagement than any other Super Bowl ad on the platform.

We have seen our business grow along with the campaign roll out in 2023

U.S.

-50% increase in Retail $ Sales vs. year ago

-1 million new buyers (32% increase) vs. year ago

Canada

-190% increase in Retail $ Sales vs. year ago

One of our TikToks got 29.6 million views…organically… even we will admit that that was unexpected.