From "Once You Pop" to "Once You Drop"
Pringles is leaning into Halloween with its darkest brand stunt yet. The snack brand says it will give one die-hard fan a custom Pringles urn and a 200-year supply of chips in a new campaign called "Once You Drop."
The work continues the long-running "Once You Pop, the Pop Don’t Stop" platform, which has already produced offbeat follow-ups such as 2025’s "Duck King" and a Sabrina Carpenter spot earlier this year. This time, the twist is literal: the winner is asked to make the Pringles can part of their legacy.
Why a real funeral director fronts the spot
The hero ad stars Dan the Funeral Man, a TikTok creator and actual funeral director. In the spot, he checks a casket, tells viewers the inventor of the Pringles can was laid to rest in his own creation, then reveals the giveaway.
Pringles and agency partners BBDO New York and Weber Shandwick are betting that Dan’s day job gives the morbidity just enough credibility. Weber Shandwick executive creative director Allyson Hoar said authenticity and tone were critical, and that Dan brought "real-world experience, a unique sense of humor, and a playful spirit" to the campaign.
The urn itself is made from metal alloy. BBDO New York executive creative director Dan Kelly said it balances the look of Pringles with the durability needed for an actual urn. This is not a plastic prop.
The mechanics
Fans enter at onceyoudrop.com by signing what the brand calls the "Last Will and Taste-Ament" — a pledge to be buried in the urn when they "drop." Entries open October 13 at 9 a.m. ET and close October 22 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The winner is announced around Halloween and walks away with the urn and a 200-year supply of Pringles.
For marketers, the structure is a masterclass in turning a tiny prize pool into an outsized earned media moment:
- Use a true brand legend. The inventor-buried-in-a-Pringles-can story gives the stunt a "wait, that’s real?" hook.
- Borrow credibility from a day-job creator. A funeral director makes the dark humor feel intentional, not tone-deaf.
- Match the prize to the bit. A 200-year supply is absurd on purpose, which is exactly why people will share it.
What this says about the state of attention
Pringles is explicitly chasing what Mauricio Jenkins, salty snacks brand and content lead at Mars Snacking North America, calls "Halloween’s dark humor and Gen Z’s taste for absurdist storytelling." In practice, that means treating a heritage brand less like a sacred relic and more like a character allowed to make strange choices.
The biggest risk is always taste. But by hiring a real funeral professional, keeping the entry window short and treating the urn as a serious object, the brand walks a careful line between dark comedy and disrespect. If the internet embraces it, expect more heritage brands to test how far their own lore can stretch before Halloween 2027.
Source: Adweek
