- Airheads is encouraging consumers to test out a recent way of eating its candy through an “Airheads Shake Factory” pop-up event, per a press release. The move follows a viral TikTok claiming that the candy tastes higher after being shaken right into a recent shape.
- The Shake Factory event can be held on June 21 from 2 to 7 p.m. PT at Muscle Beach Gym in Venice Beach, California, and can feature an assembly line of bodybuilders who can be shaking the candy right into a smaller, pillow-like form, a process that has proven arduous.
- Event attendees may also take part in “shake offs” to win prizes throughout the day. The move builds on the brand’s recently launched #AirheadsChallenge on social media and makes it certainly one of the latest to center its marketing around viral TikTok moments.
Popular candy Airheads, made by Perfetti Van Melle, is looking to capitalize on its social media virality, a move that has change into increasingly popular as platforms like TikTok maintain a stronghold over consumers, namely Gen Z. Other major players have done the same, like Ocean Spray and Chipotle, the latter which introduced a recent menu item based off of a TikTok creation.
The effort by Airheads is inspired by a TikTok post by popular creator Jordan Howlett, who details a less conventional approach to eating the candy that entails shaking it until it is a fraction of the size of its traditionally flat form. The post has received over 1 million likes and lots of have attempted it for themselves, prompting Airheads to launch its #AirheadsChallenge, which has since generated tens of millions of views to date, per the release.
Now, the candymaker is taking it a step further with the Airheads Shake Factory, a playful nod to the intense effort needed to actually shrink the candy. Bodybuilders at Muscle Beach Gym will line up to shake the candy for fans, while event-goers can be encouraged to participate in a challenge to see who can shake the candy into the smallest shape inside a minute. A leaderboard will rank the day’s best shakers and prizes can be awarded.
Airheads has often been light-hearted in its marketing, the latest effort no different. In 2021, the brand launched a digital video campaign toying with the idea of hitting the “skip ad” button to make real-life moments more playful. The same 12 months, the brand nodded to National Fried Chicken Day with the creation of a limited-run chicken sandwich featuring a bun created from Airheads Xtremes Belts.
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