Social Rocket
An urn designed like a Pringles can and a snack supply for 200 years: With the Halloween campaign “Once You Drop”, Pringles turns a rather bizarre episode of its own brand history into a social campaign. The entry period ended on October 22 2026; the winner is to be notified around October 31.
For marketing teams, the mechanics are more interesting than the unusual prize: a real piece of brand folklore supplies the story, a creator brings it into the feed, and a shareable entry confirmation extends the campaign into the community.
A real event instead of invented Halloween lore
Fredric J. Baur, developer of the characteristic Pringles packaging, had stipulated that part of his ashes be interred in such a can. His family fulfilled the wish 2008. The news was documented at the time by the Associated Press.
Pringles is now taking this story further: participants in the USA could sign a non-binding, tongue-in-cheek “Will and Taste-ament” via OnceYouDrop.com. The prizes include a personalised metal urn in can format and a Pringles supply described as 200 years. The campaign was open only to adult US residents and required no purchase, as explained in Mars’s official announcement of 13 October.
From a giveaway to a social ritual
The campaign film features @DanTheFuneralMan, an actual funeral director and social media creator. His professional background gives the dark humour a clear framework. Participants also received a downloadable digital pledge that could be shared with a mention of Pringles on social media.
This creates three points of contact: the attention-grabbing film, sign-up on the campaign page and voluntary fan posts in one’s own network. The brand simultaneously uses its unusual packaging as an instantly recognisable visual motif. The timing is also interesting: the actual entry deadline falls before Halloween, while the planned winner notification lands on the holiday.
What works in the idea beyond Halloween
Pringles needed neither a new product nor a highly complicated digital effect. The core was a proprietary, verifiable story so peculiar that people want to retell it. Added to that are a credible creator and a community element that doesn’t merely demand passive watching.
Similarly, Fanta’s Halloween brand world and Reese’s creator search for the best Halloween street rely on recognisable seasonal ideas. A different approach is shown by Sprite’s QR-code fan campaign, where the packaging leads directly into digital actions.
The Pringles campaign is a model for brand storytelling from one’s own archive: not every curious company fact makes a campaign – but the right one can provide a better hook than the next generic Halloween motif.
Header image: thematic stock photo, Quilia/Unsplash; not an official Pringles campaign visual.