Straight Arrow News reported earlier this week that M&M’s have been named the most popular candy for this year’s Halloween, according to Candystore.com. But Nerds, a brand more synonymous with 1984 than 2024, is making a case for itself with its newest creation, Nerds Gummy Clusters, taking over the confectionery world.
The clusters, consisting of a chewy ball surrounded by crunchy little Nerds candies, have become so popular that they’ve been recently featured in articles for The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.
Nerds hit it big in the 1980s. The Willy Wonka Candy Company debuted its iconic dual chamber packaging in 1983. Nerds was named “Candy of the Year” by the National Candy Wholesalers Association in 1985.
But while being seen with Nerds was popular in the 80s — Nestle acquired the brand in 1988 — the candy lost some of its luster in the 90s and 2000s.
In 2018, Nestle sold Nerds and all its U.S. confectionary business to Ferrera Candy for $2.8 billion. The Nerds brand at the time had around $40 million in sales and was seen as a candy from a bygone era. Then, Nerds returned to the spotlight in 2020 with the invention of Nerds Gummy Clusters.
After years of testing and research groups, it was an Instagram review by influencer Kylie Jenner about the clusters that turned them into a candy sensation.
The company said Nerds Gummy Clusters brought in nearly $100 million in sales in 2021. This year, Nerds Gummy Clusters have already garnered $500 million in sales – and this is before Halloween.
The renewed love for Nerds led Ferrera to nearly double its marketing budget. The company placed its first Super Bowl ad in company history, featuring TikTok star Addison Rae.
Ferrara told The New York Times it plans to release a second Super Bowl ad next year. A TD Cowen analyst told The Wall Street Journal that Nerds sales are now rivaling those of chewy competitors Starburst and Skittles.