MIKE AND IKE is giving its iconic candy beans distinct personalities for the first time through its new "We Got'chew" brand platform.
Created with ad agency Curiosity, the campaign features four hero films directed by Emmy-nominated comedian Kenan Thompson.
Social content and digital extensions place the candy characters at the center of relatable frustrations.
"The best comedy comes from situations people instantly recognize," Thompson said in a press release.
"What I loved about this campaign is that it takes those everyday moments we've all experienced and looks at them through the perspective of Mike and Ike."
View this post on Instagram
The brand characters are built to recur, so each film, post, and future activation can pull from the same cast.
The longer the platform runs, the more familiar Mike and Ike get, and the more valuable they become as assets.
Comedy Gives the Brand New Life
For more than 80 years, the candy brand has relied on its colorful candy and fruity flavors to drive brand recognition.
"We Got'chew" adds another brand asset by giving Mike and Ike their own personalities on screen.
"[W]e're creating memorable characters that can connect with consumers through humor, personality, and the everyday moments we all experience," Meenakshi Trehan, chief growth officer at MIKE AND IKE, shared.
The four films place the duo inside familiar situations where they help consumers "chew through" life's small frustrations, including:
- Being left on read
- Awkward social encounters
- Workplace stress
Behind-the-scenes footage and social-first content extend the campaign, while additional activations are planned throughout the year.
Thompson is making his commercial directing debut here, and his name lends the platform real comedy credibility.
View this post on Instagram
His years in sketch comedy give the films a structure built for characters who come back.
It's the same instinct behind a great recurring SNL sketch, making characters that audiences actually want to see again.
Mascots Still Beat Fresh Ads
Brand characters stick in memory better than most ads, which is exactly what MIKE AND IKE is after.
Kantar's Blueprint for Brand Growth found that brands that build meaningful connections are 5x more likely to grow market penetration.
A System1 study found that Super Bowl ads led by brand characters like the M&M's crew averaged 3.7 stars, outscoring celebrity ads at 2.8.
So giving Mike and Ike real personalities is a play for brand recall grounded in real data.
The campaign reflects a broader move toward owned intellectual property that brands can revisit across platforms.
- Own recognizable creative assets. Develop recurring brand symbols to create long-term recall that reduces reliance on constantly refreshing campaigns.
- Comedy works best with familiar situations. Ground humor in everyday experiences to make branded storytelling easier for audiences to share.
- Think beyond one commercial. Design campaign platforms that can expand into social content and future activations to extend creative value.
When brands create IP they fully control, each campaign adds value to the next instead of starting from zero.
Our Take: Can Candy Become a Companion Brand?
Most candy brands sell a flavor and stop there.
We think "We Got'chew" is after something bigger, making Mike and Ike characters that keep you company through life's small annoyances.
In the spots, the candy plays the supportive friend, so personality carries the scene when flavor takes a back seat.
The risk is repetition, since if every spot runs the same joke, the characters lose the familiarity that makes them work.
If MIKE AND IKE keeps building its characters' world, it could own an emotional brand positioning that stays valuable long after any one flavor fades.
Extra Gum tried the same move recently with "Chew Into It," using mascot Chewbert to make gum the sidekick for awkward conversations.
Looking to create brand characters that audiences remember?
Explore these top creative advertising agencies to find partners specializing in long-term brand platforms.
