Objective

As a beloved franchise chain known for mouth-watering desserts, Crumbl faced a significant business challenge: transforming a traditionally slow holiday sales period into a season of sweet success. The brand needed to shift consumer perception of their product from an everyday treat to a coveted holiday gift option.

Campaign objectives were strategically crafted to address this challenge:

• Drive brand awareness and consideration during the competitive holiday season
• Establish Crumbl desserts as a premium gifting option
• Generate high-quality, engaging content that could be amplified through paid channels
• Reach new customer segments through strategic influencer partnerships

Success metrics were established to measure campaign effectiveness:

• Achieve minimum 30M impressions across influencer content
• Generate 150K+ engagements
• Attain engagement rate above industry benchmark
• Drive significant earned media value
• Create repurposable content for paid advertising 

Strategy

The big idea: Transform Crumbl from a dessert destination into the sweetest gift of the holiday season by showcasing how different types of people incorporate Crumbl cookies into their holiday celebrations.

We called this the "Gift of Crumbl" concept, turning every cookie box into a story of holiday connection. Rather than simply promoting products, we empowered creators to showcase how Crumbl cookies become part of authentic holiday moments—from family gatherings to friend gift exchanges to holiday parties.

This approach allowed us to position Crumbl cookies as more than just treats or one-off gifts; they became vehicles for holiday joy and connection, worthy of gifting status alongside traditional holiday presents.

Our strategy was built on two key insights: First, while traditional gifting options flood the holiday market, consumers increasingly seek unique, experiential gifts that create memorable moments. Second, TikTok's rapid growth among both creators and consumers has made it the premier platform for driving food and beverage trends, particularly among younger demographics.

Armed with these insights, we developed a multi-faceted strategy:

1. Strategic creator selection: Rather than focusing solely on food influencers, we deliberately selected five creators across diverse niches—from dance enthusiasts and fashion influencers to family-focused creators and a former Bachelor contestant. This approach ensured we reached different audience segments while maintaining authenticity within each community.
2. Platform specialization: We concentrated efforts on TikTok, where food content consistently drives high engagement and conversion. This allowed us to maximize our impact where our target audience was most active and receptive.
3. Content amplification framework: We developed a two-phase content strategy—first leveraging organic influencer content, then repurposing top-performing content through paid advertising to extend reach and impact.

We executed a comprehensive activation strategy that maximized both creator authenticity and campaign impact:

Influencer Activation:

• Partnered with 7 strategically selected creators spanning lifestyle, family, foodie, celebrity, and gaming niches to tap into new, untouched audiences
• Enabled creators to showcase authentic holiday moments featuring Crumbl, resulting in 7 unique pieces of content
• Leveraged Later's approval function within the platform to ensure content met brand standards while maintaining creator authenticity

Content Amplification:

• Implemented two-phase content strategy: organic creator posts followed by paid amplification
• Identified top-performing organic content and transformed it into paid advertising campaigns
• Successfully doubled engagement through strategic paid promotion

Platform Optimization:

• Focused on TikTok as primary platform to reach target audience
• Utilized platform-specific features to maximize engagement and shareability
• Created content that aligned with platform trends and user behaviors

Quality Control:

• Established clear brand guidelines while allowing creative freedom
• Implemented streamlined content approval process through Later platform
• Maintained consistent messaging across all creator content

Results

Leveraging 7 unique influencers to create high-quality, reusable content, the campaign significantly exceeded all KPIs:

• Generated 71.4M impressions (79% above baseline)
• Achieved 311.8K engagements (77% above baseline)
• Delivered 0.44% engagement rate
• Created $2.5M in earned media value (108% above baseline)
• Produced 7 pieces of high-quality, reusable content
• Doubled engagement through paid amplification

Most importantly, the campaign successfully repositioned Crumbl as a holiday gifting option, helping drive sales during a traditionally slow period. The campaign's success led to Crumbl discovering new customer segments that continued to engage with the brand long after the holiday season.

Building on this success, the campaign redefined Crumbl’s brand positioning in three key ways:

1. Elevated brand perception from everyday treat to premium gift-worthy offering
2. Expanded brand relevance beyond core dessert consumers by showcasing diverse use cases through varied influencer perspectives
3. Created a blueprint for future influencer collaborations by proving the effectiveness of cross-niche partnerships

The campaign's success went beyond metrics, establishing Crumbl as an innovative brand that understands modern gifting behaviors and social media engagement. This evolution strengthened Crumbl's position in the competitive dessert space while creating new opportunities for future growth.

Media