Frito-Lay North America: Cracker Jill

For decades, women’s sports have lagged behind their male counterparts in terms of access and inclusion. But in 2022, with the sports world experiencing a seismic shift around women’s sports, we pitched a a potentially polarizing idea to Frito-Lay: Update its 125-year-old Cracker Jack brand – one of the most storied brands in American baseball – and introduce an inclusive group of faces to its roster.

Elevating women’s sports…

We knew it was the moment, creatively speaking, to swing for the fences – and celebrate the women who have and continue to break down barriers in sports. After all, fans in America’s ballparks had been singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” for over a century, a song which includes that timeless line, “Buy me some peanuts and Crack-er Jack.”

But this being 2022, why not change things up a little?

We reimagined the American classic to be more inclusive and teamed up with recording artist Normani to record our re-written, 2022 version of Take Me Out To the Ball Game as she sang, “Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jill, No one can stop you if you have the will!”

To bring Jill to life, we partnered with an influential Black designer, Monica Ahanonu, to develop five new Cracker Jill characters that applied U.S. census data reflecting our country’s true diversity of ethnicities and female body types. 

A brand campaign worthy of the history books…

Cracker Jill earned a grand slam with media and fans — all without an MLB sponsorship.  When Cracker Jill went on sale in MLB baseball stadiums on Opening Day 2022, it achieved a 48% overall share-of-media conservation versus other brands activating around the same time – and inspired more than 3,000 people to donate to the Women’s Sports Foundation on CrackerJill.com and receive a collectible package of Cracker Jill. What’s more, Cracker Jill’s inclusive recreation of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” performed by female artist Normani, generated 644,000 views and 2,739 social engagements.

Over the season, Cracker Jill would go on to win the hearts of a new generation of families, inspire media (and social media) conversations nationwide and demonstrate the progress made by generations of women athletes. 

The numbers:

• 9.2 billion earned impressions 
• 1,127 media stories    
• A 13% rise in consumer favorability for Cracker Jack 
• A 12% increase in purchase intent