RITZ CRACKERS

Ritz Crackers compared using low-fidelity video ad creative that was specifically tailored for the Reels placement to its usual ad creative, and saw a 3.7-point lift in campaign awareness with the creative designed for Reels.

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THE STORY
Classic cracker brand

First introduced by Nabisco in 1934, Ritz Crackers is a brand of lightly salted snack crackers with a buttery flavor and a finely scalloped edge. Ritz Crackers can be enjoyed with sweet or savory toppings. Today, Ritz is owned by Mondelez International.

2.8-point

lift in unaided ad recall using ad creative tailored for Reels, compared to usual creative

3.7-point

lift in campaign awareness using ad creative tailored for Reels, compared to usual creative

3.3X

more 3-second view plays using ad creative tailored for Reels, compared to usual creative

We were excited to explore the creative possibilities of bespoke Reels ads, pushing our brand storytelling beyond opt-in and optimizations to create entertaining short-form video that feels authentic to Ritz as well as to our consumers’ content expectations. Based off the results of this test, we will continue to lean into using bespoke creative for Reels.
GARRETT CLAYMAN, BRAND MANAGER, RITZ CRACKERS
THE GOAL
Accelerating Reels ads performance

Ritz Crackers wanted to accelerate Reels-first brand storytelling and strengthen the performance of its video ads in the Reels placement across Instagram and Facebook.

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THE SOLUTION

Testing tailored Reels ad creative

The team at Ritz Crackers had seen success running ads in the vertical, full-screen Reels placement in prior campaigns, but wanted to maximize its investment and drive incremental brand outcomes.

Its usual video ad creative had been highly polished and optimized for Reels, including a 9:16 aspect ratio, upfront branding and use of sound. Curious about the possibilities of building in the ‘language’ of Reels, Ritz Crackers and its media and creative agencies partnered with Meta for guidance on how to supercharge its creative approach beyond optimization techniques.

Inspired by Reels trends—as well as its unique consumer behaviors and creative tools—Ritz Crackers’ media agency, VaynerMedia, helped plan and implement the media campaign. The company’s creative agencies, The Martin Agency and Dentsu, developed tailored Reels creative that was:

  • entertaining and used a mix of visual effects, music or storytelling
  • easy to understand and rewarding to watch
  • relatable for the intended audience, unpolished and spontaneous

These video ads featured fun, easy-to-replicate recipes, showing how friends and loved ones can enjoy snack time with Ritz. Text overlays encouraged people to submit their own unique recipes in a sweepstakes promotion called #RitzTogether. The team showed the ads to US adults aged 18–44 on Instagram and Facebook.

To understand how well this new creative performed, Ritz ran a Meta brand lift study that compared the usual ad creative in one cell with a campaign with the usual creative plus tailored Reels creative in the second cell. All other campaign elements were identical.

Ritz Crackers determined the results of its May 1–June 13, 2023 campaign using a two-cell Meta brand lift study. The study revealed that tailored Reels ads outperformed the usual creative, including:

  • 2.8-point lift in unaided ad recall
  • 3.7-point lift in campaign awareness
  • 3.3X more 3-second view plays
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We were eager to immerse in the lo-fi 'language' of Reels, bridging Ritz Crackers' playful organic voice with paid messaging goals. Taking the time to experiment and understand which type of Reels creative would be most effective for driving brand equity performance for Ritz gave us amazing results and permission to create in ways natural to the Reels consumer experience.
KATHRYN GANS, CREATIVE US STRATEGIST, SOCIAL MARKETING & STRATEGY, DENTSU
Reels has proven to be a key channel to reach Ritz's customers in a truly engaging way. With the strong view rates and brand lift metrics from this test, we are excited to continue to lean into bespoke, more lo-fi creatives in Reels as we grow and scale in that placement.
ALEX TERRONO, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, MEDIA BUYING, VAYNERMEDIA
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