We recently touched base with Lauryn McDonough, senior director of candy, Mondelēz International, about the rising trend of gummy candy, as well as Swedish Fish's consistent growth and plans for continued innovation into 2025.
McDonough also expanded on the brand's "Sel-Fish" holiday campaign, featuring a "Bad Santa" who can't help sampling some Swedish Fish from children's Christmas stockings.
Liz Parker Kuhn: Can you talk about the rising trend of gummy candy?
Lauryn McDonough: It’s an exciting time in the sweet non-chocolate candy space, especially for gummy candy. According to Market Growth Reports, the gummy candy market is forecast to reach $750 million in 2032 from $495 million this year, a compound annual growth rate of 6.4%. Sweet non-chocolate candy is far more popular among the under-25 set vs. over-25. One theory? The color and squish factor makes gummies fun, which makes Swedish Fish a perfect fit for the Gen Z audience who are seeking experience along with great flavors and taste.
This chewy segment controls the lion's share of the non-chocolate candy category (~80%) and is the primary driver of category growth industry-wide. Within the chewy candy segment, the main drivers of growth have unsurprisingly been innovation in meeting evolving consumer needs. Additionally, given consumers’ desire for chewy candy even relative to other categories, more and more brands are extending into cross-category plays for growth via multipacks where consumer variety can be delivered by the full portfolio.
LPK: How has Swedish Fish consistently shown growth?
LM: To date, Swedish Fish is a seasoned contender in a competitive candy category primarily through new pack sizes and select close-in innovation. There’s a forty-year history that’s developed a loyal fan base for the original red, fish-shaped candy, so we have done a lot of work to ensure that the product is available in the right pack size and format everywhere that consumers shop. This includes our mini product which is very popular as a size variation to our original, and perfect for shareable and on-the-go pack types. Candy is also a popular category in key seasonal windows, so Halloween variety bags inclusive of sour (Sour Patch Kids) and sweet (Swedish Fish) have been a key driver of growth.
In addition, we’ve introduced strategic brand collaborations to extend the reach to Gen Z audiences. Most recently, we’ve worked with Ghost Energy Drink, which harnessed the fruity notes of Swedish Fish for a perfectly blended, mouthwatering beverage that provides Feel Good Energy for Gen Z gamers. Ghost founder Dan Lourenco says, “It’s one of my favorite Ghost flavors and our fans agree—we’re on pace to hit the 100-million-servings-sold milestone next year of Ghost x Swedish fish products.”
LPK: What are the company's plans for innovation next year?
LM: Swedish Fish has some exciting news on the horizon, including technology that has not yet been seen in the non-chocolate candy category. The brand also has a lot of great flavor variety within the current assortment, so increasing consumer awareness of these offerings will be key for continued growth.
LPK: Does it plan to market specifically to its Gen Z audience?
LM: Absolutely. The "Sel-Fish Santa" asset is running exclusively across digital/social channels to reach our Gen-Z consumers where they’re seeking inspirational and entertaining content. Thanks to the great work our social team at Dentsu Creative has done to grow those organic channels, we have witnessed a groundswell of Gen-Z interest in the brand over the last year or two. Our fans on social love the unique (and often obscure) consumption moments that we share on our page, from fish bowls to sushi to Fourth of July skewers. It is Gen-Z’s quirky and irreverent humor that inspired us to take a closer look at the communication strategy for the brand as we planned the launch of our holiday media campaign.
LPK: What sparked the idea of the “Be Sel-Fish” activation?
LM: Throughout 2024, our team has made a concerted effort to understand Swedish Fish’s position in a saturated category. Through several consumer insights studies, we consistently heard words like "unique," "distinct texture," "chewy," and "shareable" as qualities that both draw consumers to Swedish Fish and win with Gen Z. As we briefed Majority Agency to develop creative platforms and executions for the brand to explore, they proposed ideas that we tested with Gen Z focus groups. In these tests, Be Sel-Fish consistently rose to the top as a platform that both felt ownable for Swedish Fish and gave the brand permission to show up with disruptive comms in a crowded category.
The ultimate unlock for the campaign actually came directly from a teen focus group participant, who reminded us that the most powerful connections are established when brands show the audience the core insight, versus telling them what to feel or think.
There’s an interesting juxtaposition to the "Be Sel-Fish" messaging knowing that Gen Z audiences, who are expected to share more than ever, can appreciate that some things are too special to share. The holiday concept showcases the absurdity of the lengths one would go to not share something that is inherently so shareable in a seasonally relevant storyline. Even the most benevolent character, Santa Claus, can’t resist keeping this unique and distinct treat all to himself.
LPK: Has the brand done any similar activations in the past?
LM: Swedish Fish has done a number of “punny” activations in prior years, including one for Discovery Channel’s Shark Week in 2018. What we hope will make "Be Sel-Fish" different is landing a key message about the brand that takes the conversation beyond our trademark shape. We have consistently heard from our consumers that the Swedish Fish [super-consumers] appreciate not only the products unique fish shape and scaled pattern but its sweet flavor and remarkable chewy texture, so we aimed to create messaging that subvert expectations and lean into the uniqueness of the brand.
LPK: What’s new for the brand in 2025?
LM: As we turn the page to 2025 and beyond, we are excited to develop more media and programs that will showcase Swedish Fish front and center. Notably, we intend to build out an evergreen communication framework that differentiates Swedish Fish in a competitive category. The "Sel-fish Santa" asset is the first communication under the "Be Sel-Fish" brand narrative, and we plan to extend this messaging to meet other seasons as well as everyday occasions. We’ll be showing up in the moments where teen sharing happens and encourage them to keep sharing everything important to them, except their Swedish Fish.
Mondelēz International is on the current Candy Industry “Global Top 100 Candy Companies” list. Click here to view the current “Global Top 100” rankings.
