Pringles' Gen Z Bet: Inside the 'Pop Don't Stop' Revival

In a bold move that masterfully blends nostalgic equity with contemporary internet culture, Pringles is resurrecting its most iconic tagline. The unforgettable 1990s jingle, “Once You Pop, The Fun Don’t Stop,” is being strategically reimagined for a new generation of snackers. The modern twist, “Once You Pop, The Pop Don’t Stop,” is more than a simple lyrical update; it’s the cornerstone of a sophisticated campaign designed to capture the elusive Gen Z market without alienating the loyalists who grew up with the brand.

Helmed by the creative minds at FCB New York, this relaunch is a calculated maneuver in the competitive landscape of consumer-packaged goods. It signals a deep understanding that in today’s fragmented media environment, brands must speak a language of cultural relevance, humor, and authenticity. The campaign’s spearhead, a bizarrely charming commercial titled “The Duck King,” offers the first glimpse into this new, playfully unhinged era for Pringles, one that bets heavily on the power of absurdity to stop the scroll and start a conversation.

The Strategic Power of Nostalgia Marketing

The decision to revisit a 90s-era slogan is far from a simple creative whim; it is a move deeply rooted in data and brand equity. According to recent Ipsos data cited by Pringles, an impressive 69% of consumers remain familiar with the original phrase. This figure represents an invaluable asset in marketing—a pre-built emotional connection and a cognitive shortcut that new taglines can take years, and millions of dollars, to establish.

By reviving this beloved slogan, Pringles is tapping into a powerful current of nostalgia that has proven immensely successful for CPG brands. This strategy operates on a dual frequency. For older millennials and Gen X consumers, the tagline evokes a sense of comfort and fond memories, instantly reaffirming their connection to the brand. For Gen Z, who may not have the same direct memory, it presents the slogan as a piece of "retro" culture, something classic and enduring that has been remixed for their tastes.

This approach mirrors a broader industry trend where brands like Pepsi, Kraft, and General Mills have successfully mined their archives for retro packaging and campaigns. The goal is to create a cross-generational dialogue, where the brand becomes a shared cultural touchpoint. Pringles is betting that the familiarity of the phrase will provide a stable foundation upon which they can build a new layer of modern, meme-worthy relevance.

Deconstructing "The Duck King": A Masterclass in Absurdism

The campaign’s debut commercial, “The Duck King,” is a masterclass in the specific dialect of humor that thrives on the internet. Directed by Thomas Ormonde, the spot opens with a man on a park bench who, in a moment of playful snacking, wedges two Pringles chips together to form the iconic “duck lips”—a behavior instantly recognizable to anyone who has ever opened a can.

What follows is a descent into delightful absurdity. His simple act attracts a single duck, then a flock, who proceed to crown him their king. The scene culminates with the man being triumphantly carried away by his new avian subjects, embracing his strange new destiny. The spot's brilliance lies in its ability to ground its surreal narrative in a genuine consumer insight. The Pringles "duck lips" are a real, shared experience, making the fantastical leap to duck royalty feel earned and uniquely on-brand.

The choice to feature the Dill Pickle Pringles flavor is another layer of strategic precision. This flavor was revived specifically due to overwhelming fan demand and its surging popularity on social media platforms like TikTok, where pickle-flavored everything has become a viral sensation. This demonstrates that Pringles isn’t just broadcasting to Gen Z; it’s actively listening and responding to their tastes and online conversations.

Dan Kelly, the executive creative director at FCB New York, articulated the campaign's intent perfectly, explaining the goal was to take the brand's playful side "to an unhinged place that mirrors Gen Z's feed." This "unhinged" quality is precisely what separates modern brand humor from its predecessors, favoring oddball, non-sequitur narratives over traditional punchlines.

From "Mind Popping" to "Pop Don't Stop": A Tale of Two Taglines

This new campaign marks a significant pivot from Pringles’ most recent marketing efforts. In 2022, the brand retired the “Once You Pop” messaging in favor of a new global platform, “Mind Popping.” While ambitious, that tagline may have lacked the visceral, memorable punch of its predecessor. The return to the classic phrase, albeit in a refreshed form, suggests a recognition that the brand's true power lies in the simple, unstoppable joy of snacking that the original so perfectly captured.

It also represents a crucial evolution from the original 1990s execution. Those early ads, which featured kids rapping and surfing on giant Pringles chips, feel decidedly of their time. While charmingly nostalgic, their earnest and straightforward tone would likely be perceived as "cheesy" or cringe by today's more irony-poisoned youth. Gen Z's humor is more nuanced, self-aware, and often absurd.

The “Pop Don’t Stop” campaign successfully navigates this generational gap. It keeps the core promise of unstoppable fun but sheds the dated aesthetic for a modern, surrealist sensibility. It understands that to connect with a digital-native audience, a brand can’t just be fun; it has to be interesting, weird, and, above all, shareable. “The Duck King” is not just an ad; it’s a potential GIF, a meme, a piece of content designed to be clipped and remixed across social feeds.

The Agency Shift and the Social-First Imperative

The strategic overhaul is also reflective of a significant change behind the scenes. Last year, FCB New York took over the Pringles account from the brand's long-time partner, WPP’s Grey. Such a high-profile agency change often precedes a major creative reset, and this campaign is the first major fruit of that new relationship. FCB’s approach signals a clear mandate to shake things up and re-energize the brand for a new era.

The campaign is a collaborative effort, with a roster of agencies including Weber Shandwick, Starcom, and CIEN+ supporting the launch. This multi-agency approach is typical for a brand of Pringles' scale, ensuring a cohesive message across public relations, media buying, and multicultural marketing.

Crucially, the brand has announced plans for extended storytelling on its social media channels. This confirms that “The Duck King” is not a one-off television spot but the beginning of a larger narrative universe. This social-first strategy is now essential for CPG brands aiming to reach Gen Z consumers, who spend more time on platforms like TikTok and Instagram than on linear television. The campaign is being built natively for the feed, designed for vertical video, short-form content, and interactive engagement.

The Kellanova-Mars Equation: AI, Acquisitions, and the Future

This ambitious creative relaunch is occurring within a dynamic corporate context. Pringles' owner, Kellanova, is increasingly investing in artificial intelligence to create a stronger link between its creative initiatives and tangible business outcomes. By partnering with performance marketing firms like Vidmob and MMA Global, Kellanova is seeking to quantify the impact of its advertising, ensuring that even the most "unhinged" creative drives sales.

This data-driven approach provides a crucial counterbalance to the campaign's surrealist humor, grounding creative risk in measurable performance metrics. It's a clear signal that modern CPG marketing requires both right-brain creativity and left-brain analytics to succeed.

Perhaps most significantly, this is all happening under the shadow of a colossal industry shift: Kellanova is in the process of being acquired by Mars for an astounding $36 billion. This merger is expected to send ripples throughout the packaged foods industry. For Pringles, being absorbed into the Mars portfolio could mean access to even greater resources and a broader global distribution network. The success of the "Pop Don't Stop" campaign will undoubtedly be watched closely by the new ownership as a test case for how to successfully modernize an iconic heritage brand.

Conclusion: A Calculated Pop of Genius

Pringles' revival of "Once You Pop" is far more than a simple nostalgia play. It is a multi-layered, surgically precise marketing strategy that demonstrates a keen understanding of brand equity, generational humor, and the modern media landscape. By pairing a familiar, beloved tagline with a fresh, absurdly creative execution, Pringles is building a bridge between its past and its future.

The “Pop Don’t Stop” campaign is a testament to the idea that a brand can honor its heritage while speaking fluently in the language of today. It combines the emotional pull of nostalgia with the viral potential of Gen Z humor, all backed by a sophisticated, data-driven, social-first distribution model. In a crowded snack aisle, Pringles is proving that the most effective way to stand out is to embrace the fun, lean into the weird, and never, ever stop the pop.