Mondelēz International, the company behind some of the most popular candies and snacks like Sour Patch Kids, Oreo, Ritz crackers, and Trident gum, first stumbled onto TikTok in 2020, creating a video featuring one of its lesser-known brands, Nutter Butter. As profiled by Adweek, Mondelēz deliberately chose to experiment with Nutter Butter because it was less popular and was in the midst of a social media strategy overhaul. A year later, the company now has direct-to-consumer relationships through TikTok for its biggest brands, with Sour Patch Kids and Oreo commanding 1.4 million and 1.3 million followers, respectively.

TikTok has been gaining considerable traction and now has over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide. Many of these are from the Gen Z demographic that brands are eager to connect with, making it a natural fit for snack or candy brands. Younger people often have a sweet tooth and are more likely to be responsive to viral trends such as the Slime Licker challenge. This kind of organic marketing is the stuff of advertiser’s dreams.

In fact, the brands that have seen the most success on TikTok are the ones that put up videos that aren’t highly polished. As TikTok’s global marketing boss Nick Tran explained to Adweek, any brands that publish videos that feel “too produced” run the risk of turning away some users.

For Mondelēz, the strategy appears to be working, as Sour Patch Kids and Oreo consumers report using TikTok weekly, according to Interpret’s New Media Measure®. Additionally, an Adweek survey reports that nearly half of TikTok users say they have purchased a product or service from a brand after seeing it advertised.

In 2020, Mondelēz’s revenues increased 2.8% to $26.6 billion. While the pandemic is likely a factor in the sales spike, the company’s savvy TikTok use – which even includes creating TikTok “rivalries” among its own stable of brands – is certainly helping.