Mondelēz International Inc. aimed to deepen its connection with Gen Z gamers by integrating Sour Patch Kids into their world beyond a typical sponsorship. Recognizing the evolving landscape of gaming, Sour Patch Kids sought to capitalize on their growing presence in the space by offering something truly unique: Mischief Mode. The intent was to create an engaging and interactive gaming experience that naturally incorporated the brand’s “Sour then Sweet” ethos, while authentically resonating with the Gen Z audience.
Gen Z is drawn to interactive and immersive experiences, especially within the gaming and streaming spheres. They value authenticity and participation over passive consumption. Sour Patch Kids realized the opportunity to not just be a brand sponsor but a genuine contributor to the gameplay itself. The brand understood that to successfully connect with Gen Z, it needed to be woven into the fabric of the gaming experiences, taking fan interaction to the next level.
Inspired by the Sour Patch Kids’ mischievous character, we launched “Mischief Mode”, an innovative and interactive gameplay format that put fans in the driver’s seat during livestreams. Working closely with Mondelēz International Inc and Spark Foundry, Dexerto teamed up with top gaming creators to unleash a new interactive way to play. Through fan controlled “Sour vs Sweet” livestream challenges, the creators brought the brand’s lovable mischief to life their way: unscripted, chaotic, and powered by their communities.
To let the mischief commence, we collaborated with CourageJD, TimTheTatman, and Valkyrae, with their reach and popularity offering access to Gen Z audiences. Each livestream offered a unique fan experience whilst keeping the Sour Patch Kids front and center. To promote such experiences each creator played a different game, from Fortnite to Peak, with a customized set of “Sour vs Sweet” challenges relevant to gameplay.
The creators' personalities made it easy for this innovative format to feel native to their audiences, seamlessly intertwining Sour Patch Kids with their content, while emphasizing the power of fan driven experiences; evident by the 700+ chat and talent brand mentions.
To ensure authenticity and seamless integration, each creator’s stream was custom-built with bespoke setups. We designed individual overlays, unique animations, and reactive challenge logic tailored to each game played, ensuring that Mischief Mode felt organic. A major technical innovation was the real-time animated voting system, which allowed chat votes to influence on-screen actions instantly. The “Sour” challenges elevated viewer engagement by adding unexpected twists if “Sweet” was overly voted, ensuring a balanced and lively experience.
To maintain balance further, we also built a Sour Patch Kids takeover mechanic so if fans voted “Sweet” too many times, the Kids would hijack the stream with a Sour challenge override. This required additional reactive overlay elements, timed animations, and precise integration with each creator’s livestream production.
To further amplify campaign reach, we introduced multiple touchpoints, including rich and standard media placements and posts across social media , reinforcing both brand and creator presence, all of which led visitors to the custom landing page.
The initiative not only amplified Sour Patch Kids’ brand presence among Gen Z but also demonstrated the power of fan driven engagement. By blending brand messaging with interactive gameplay, we effectively connected with a tech savvy audience that values content authenticity and interactive participation.
This strategic approach positioned Sour Patch Kids not merely as a snack but as an integral part of the gaming culture, achieving a more profound and authentic connection with Gen Z gamers.
