Brian "FaZe Rug" Awadis is a co-owner of FaZe Clan and the creator of 1UP Candy, a new brand of experience-driven confections for Gen Z. The brand's debut product is a sour gummy candy, and with the Sour Gummy Challenge, consumers are tasked with sucking on three extreme sour gummies—while attempting to keep a straight face for three minutes.
From intense hot sauces to roulette pizzas and super spicy chips, products marketed with spicy food challenges have captivated the attention of adventurous eaters and thrill-seekers alike. The success of these spicy challenges has inspired brands to explore a new frontier: extremely sour foods. Just as spice enthusiasts enjoy the burn, there is a growing fascination with the intense tang and puckering sensation that sourness provides. Thanks to the reactions that they produce, these intense products are inherently made to be shared on social media.
Sour Candy Challenges
1UP Candy's Kit Challenges Sour Candy Fans to Keep a Straight Face
Trend Themes
1. Extreme Sour Challenges - Brands are exploring a new frontier of intense sour foods and challenges to captivate Gen Z's attention and provide an experience-driven product.
2. Experience-driven Confections - 1UP Candy is disrupting the candy market by offering an experience-driven product that combines tangy flavors and challenges for Gen Z consumers.
3. Social Media-ready Foods - Products marketed with sour food challenges or intense flavors will be inherently made to be shared on social media as these challenges captivate the attention of adventurous eaters and thrill-seekers alike.
Industry Implications
1. Confectionery - Confectionery companies can explore new sour, tangy flavors and develop experience-driven products to captivate Gen Z consumers and provide them with a social media-ready challenge.
2. Food and Beverage - Food and beverage brands can incorporate extreme sour challenges into their marketing strategies to tap into the growing fascination with intense tangy flavors and provide an experience-driven product for adventurous eaters and thrill-seekers alike.
3. Social Media Platforms - Social media platforms can leverage the growing trend of extreme sour challenges and social media-ready foods by partnering with brands or creating their own challenge-themed content to engage their users.