You only get one chance to make a first impression, and if there’s anyone who can make you look your best, it’s Jonathan Van Ness. The Queer Eye star is used to styling people desperately need of a physical and spiritual makeover. So, it’s fitting that Pop-Tarts recruited him to roll out their Pop-Tart Pretzel. The spot, airing during Super Bowl 54 on Feb. 2, sees JVN as an infomercial host pitching the new snack. “Are you tired of pretzels not being Pop-Tarts toaster pastries?” he asks. “Pop-Tarts Fixed That For You.” In comes JVN with plenty of sequins, sparkle, glamour, and glitz. There’s even a celebrity cameo!
The Pop-Tarts Pretzel will be released later this month in both chocolate and cinnamon sugar flavors. Fans got a taste – pun intended – of the attitude of this spot when Pop-Tarts rolled out the teaser in late January. “Time for this snack to get a snack,” Jonathan says while hitting up a craft services table while on some unnamed set. Yet, the munchies available were not up to the Queer Eye star’s approval, especially the pretzels. “So dry, so dull, so crusty,” he said, and he wasn’t talking about your friend’s new hairstyle. “SOMEBODY NEEDS TO FIX THIS,” he shrieks, uncharacteristically losing his cool. Thankfully, he finds his chill, re-centers, and apologizes. “So sorry.”
“I’ve been the biggest Pop-Tarts fan since I was knee-high to a pig’s eye through when I was a high school and college football cheerleader – and now to be a part of the Pop-Tarts Big Game commercial debut can only be summed up in one word, ‘gorgeous’!” said Jonathan Van Ness. “And others will be able to look as stunning as I did in the spot – Pop-Tarts created more totally amazing sequin crop tops for lucky fans to win. They’ll definitely look like a snack in it while they’re enjoying a sweet and salty Pop-Tarts Pretzel.”
Considering that Pop-Tarts turns 56-years-old in 2020, it’s remarkable that this is the first time the breakfast staple will have a Super Bowl commercial. During the past two Super Bowls, Pop-Tart’s parent company, Kellogg’s, only featured one of its brands: Pringles. After two Pringles ads that featured a dramatic Bill Hader and then a depressed Alexa-style AI, Kellogg’s has decided to expand its Super Bowl presence this year. “The commercial itself is so fun and has so many bright colors and fun moving parts, and it’s really just bright and bold, and the set was really larger than life and just fun. And getting to work with everyone was incredible,” JVN told HollywoodLife in an EXCLUSIVE interview about the gig. ” This was certainly one of the most pinch me moments.”
“There’s no bigger stage for brands than the Big Game,” Philipp Schaffer, Pop-Tarts’ marketing director, said in a statement, per AdWeek. “And since this will be our first time advertising during this must-watch event, we wanted to be the first to announce that the Pop-Tarts brand will be there.”
While Pop-Tarts Pretzels have JVN, Pringles have recruited Adult Swim’s Rick & Morty for this year’s Super Bowl ad. The chip brand will roll out a special “Pickle Rick” edition of its chips, capitalizing on the show’s famous “Pickle Rick” episode. Pringles already has a “Screamin’ Dill Pickle” flavored chip, so fans will have to see how this new brand will taste different from that.