Paketaxo Dark, the First Snack Co-Created with a TikTok User

Don by Havas

Medals Won

🥉 BRONZE – Consumer Products and Services

Campaign Overview

Paketaxo had lost cultural relevance among Gen Z, a generation that no longer saw the brand as part of their world. Social listening revealed a massive unmet opportunity: nightlife. Partying—dark, chaotic, expressive, and communal—is where Gen Z forms identity, connection, and shared experiences. And within that environment, one insight stood out: where there’s partying, there’s darkness; where there’s darkness, there’s fun; and now—there’s Paketaxo Dark.

The idea originated from a viral TikTok requesting a “dark” flavor. Instead of treating it as a trend, the brand co-created the product with the original creator, transforming a simple snack innovation into a real-world cultural phenomenon. Through glow-in-the-dark packaging, street activations, hidden QR codes, and full-on parties, Paketaxo Dark became a lived, sensory, collective experience—ultimately becoming PepsiCo Mexico’s most viral, best-selling, and most relevant innovation.

Creative Concept

· Darkness as Emotional Catalyst: The idea reframed “darkness” from a visual aesthetic into the social spark that ignites unforgettable nights—positioning Paketaxo Dark as the source of energy, tension, and playful chaos at every gathering.

· Moment-Before Narrative: The work centered on the split second before a party explodes into motion, capturing complicity, anticipation, and the electric feeling of a night about to get out of control—anchoring the brand in the emotional trigger rather than the aftermath.

· Gen-Z Humor & Irreverence: By tapping into Gen Z’s codes of irony, mischief, and self-aware chaos, the campaign portrayed Paketaxo Dark not as a snack but as a personality—amplifying the brand’s disruptive, party-instigating role.

· Cultural Fusion of Party Mythology: The creative blended cinematic tension with social behaviors familiar to young audiences, turning the product into the unofficial symbol of “when the night really starts.”

Execution Strategy

TV: Two 20” spots and one 10” spot delivered mass reach, using high-contrast visuals and narrative tension to establish Paketaxo Dark as the emotional spark of the night.

OOH: Glow-in-the-dark billboards and urban takeovers activated across Mexico’s busiest transit hubs, turning the product’s “dark” identity into a physical ambient experience after sunset.

Social Media: TikTok, Instagram, and X content mirrored Gen Z humor, pacing, and visual language—ensuring the idea felt native to social feeds and instantly shareable.

Influencer Co-Creation: Rolando Hervert—the TikTok creator who originated the cultural moment—served as narrator and protagonist, grounding the work in authentic creator-led energy.

Experiential: Real parties, immersive games, DJs, sensory installations, and an Oxxo-store-turned-speakeasy brought the narrative to life physically, transforming the idea into a nighttime playground.

Packaging: Glow-in-the-dark bags extended the concept into the product itself, turning Paketaxo Dark into a literal artifact of the night.

Each touchpoint was engineered for participation, shareability, and emotional charge—bringing the brand to life wherever the night begins.

Impact and Results

· +300% sales and +400% units vs. baseline plan for SKU #1, demonstrating explosive product adoption and outperforming all forecast scenarios.

· +3% incremental brand growth, confirming measurable impact at the portfolio level beyond the hero SKU.

· +7% contribution to total brand sales YoY, proving the innovation’s ability to lift overall business performance.

· 89/100 Creative Sales Impact among Gen Z (+71% YoY), validating exceptional resonance with the campaign’s core audience.

· +27% uplift in purchase intent, signaling strengthened brand demand and increased likelihood of conversion.

· 42.1 million people reached (TV + OOH), achieving 80% household reach, underscoring nationwide penetration across mass channels.

· 17.1 million digital views, 99% reach, and 5.95% engagement rate (vs. 1.92% benchmark), confirming superior performance across social platforms.

· 3,245 UGC pieces in the first month, marking a 93% increase over any prior innovation and demonstrating powerful community participation.

Why It Worked

The campaign transcended traditional snack marketing by embedding itself directly into Gen Z nightlife culture. Co-creation delivered authenticity. Darkness delivered symbolism. And experiential activations transformed the product into a cultural artifact. The brand didn’t just speak to Gen Z—it celebrated with them. The result was a breakthrough innovation that reshaped consumption behavior, revitalized the parent brand, and established a scalable emotional territory for future growth.