Pop-Tarts Bowl triples down on edible mascot antics ahead of 2024 edition

The edible Pop-Tarts Bowl mascot that rocked the college football-watching internet in December is back — and this year, it’ll have friends.

Click here to read the story at prnewswire.com.

Classroom Discussion:

Branding

1. Why do brands like Pop-Tarts create mascots?
2. Who might represent the target audience for Pop-Tarts?
3. Why do you think they created an “edible” mascot as part of their sponsorship of a college football bowl game last year?
4. Did you hear about this marketing stunt during last year’s game?
5. Which flavors will represent the edible mascots for this year’s bowl game?
6. Why do you think they chose those flavors?

Sponsorship Decisions:

1. Why might Pop-Tarts choose to sponsor a college football bowl game, and what benefits does this association provide?
2. How does sponsoring the Pop-Tarts Bowl align with the brand’s target demographic, and what marketing objectives might Pop-Tarts aim to achieve through this sponsorship?
3. What are the potential advantages and risks of introducing edible mascots in a live sports event setting?
4. Why is it important for a brand to evaluate the effectiveness of its sponsorship programs?
5. According to your textbook, why is measuring the ROI of a sponsorship campaign sometimes challenging?
6. What metrics might Pop-Tarts use to assess the effectiveness of their previous sponsorship, and how could these influence their decision to renew and enhance the partnership?
7. What are some of the ways Pop-Tarts could measure fan interaction and engagement resulting from the edible mascots during and after the event? What KPIs might they consider?

Sales and Service:

1. Why is selling important to the success of a college football bowl game?
2. How might sponsorship sales and providing customer service for corporate partners represent an example of a career opportunity in sports and entertainment?
3. What is a “renewal” and why is it an important part of the sales process?
4. Why might Pop-Tarts be sponsoring a bowl game again this year, and why would they expand the “edible mascot” concept with three mascots in this year’s event?