The encyclopedia · Marketing & Brand · Marketing decision · 2024–2025
Mentos put its cola-fizz reaction inside Fortnite as a rocket launcher
Mentos turned its classic cola geyser into an in-game Fizzooka weapon, earning a Cannes Silver Lion and 12.2 million shots fired.
Mentos · Perfetti Van Melle
the move
Mentos was seen as a brand that belonged in a dad's glovebox, with little relevance for Gen Z. BBH London's refresh kept the existing 'Yes to Fresh' platform but reframed freshness from confidence to an anti-boring mindset, turning the everyday into something playful.
The centrepiece was the Mentos Fizzooka, a custom rocket launcher built into Fortnite around the famous Mentos-and-cola chemical reaction. The brand teamed with YouTube creators like The Hacksmith to build a real turbocharged version, then sent 30 replica Fizzookas to influencers worldwide under controlled conditions.
The numbers landed: 12.2 million shots fired in-game, over 511 million players reached, social engagement up 590%, and a combined 76 years of gameplay in the first two weeks. Cannes Lions 2025 gave the work a Silver Lion and a Bronze, with seven shortlists.
why it works
- The product's own famous experiment became the playable asset, so the ad needed no new explanation.
- Fortnite put the brand where Gen Z already spends time instead of asking them to come to it.
- Real-life replicas gave creators something physical to film, extending the idea beyond the game.
- A fresh positioning, freshness as an anti-boring mindset, gave the stunt a reason to exist.
what transfers
When a brand feels stale, mine the product's own famous stunt: a playable version in a place Gen Z already hangs out outperforms a new ad.
what came after
The Fizzooka run marked Mentos' return to culture with Gen Z, winning one Silver and one Bronze Lion at Cannes 2025 plus seven shortlists, and it anchored the brand's 'Yes to Fresh' refresh.
references
- Mentos — WEIRD + WONDERFUL
- Social and Creator Lions 2025: Škoda, Mentos, Twix, and Snickers All Winners
spotted an error? The archive wants to know.