Student IMC
Jif x Smucker's
Art Direction
Seasonal/Evergreen
From Jar to Plush Star
A PB&J campaign that turns empty jars into story characters, family rituals, and a plush-worthy reason to keep creating.
Overview
Jif and Smucker's already own a nostalgic family ritual: peanut butter and jam. The opportunity was to extend that ritual beyond the sandwich by giving families a reason to keep the jar, make something together, and share the story behind it.
My Role
I help transform research, audience insights, and business objectives into integrated campaigns that connect across digital, social, experiential, retail, and physical touch-points.
Through my work as an Art Director, I also contribute to strategy development, qualitative and quantitative research, audience segmentation, insight generation, creative conceptualization, visual storytelling, and campaign execution.
Team
- Art Direction
- Christine Uy
- Copywriting
- Nicole Chan
- Strategy & Accounts
- Andrew Campaner
- Strategy & Accounts
- Raphael Angeles
The Shift
The Insight
The Big Idea
Turn recycling into a repeatable act of imagination.
Parents are looking for low-cost ways to pull kids away from passive screen time. Instead of treating the empty jar as packaging waste, the campaign turns it into a prompt for analog play: decorate it, name it, write its story, and enter it for a chance to become a real plush toy.
In a world craving more offline connections, JIF x Smucker's bridges the gap for families one jar at a time.
01
Make the product ritual last after the sandwich is made by giving the empty jar a second life.
02
Bridge Jif and Smucker's naturally through the shared PB&J family moment rather than a one-off promotion.
03
Create a campaign mechanic that can travel from packaging to microsite, UGC, retail, and collectible merchandise.
Don't toss the jar. Create with it.
On-Pack Prompt
The jar becomes the first campaign touchpoint.
Packaging introduces the contest when families are already holding the product. A QR code leads to the campaign hub with character prompts, submission steps, and inspiration for turning an empty jar into a story object.
Microsite
A submission flow built around making, naming, and storytelling.
The microsite makes participation simple: scan the QR code, upload the jar character, add its name and backstory, then invite friends and family to vote. The experience turns a craft project into a shareable family achievement.
Social Participation
A UGC engine for proud little makers.
Social content invites families to show the making process, reveal their finished character, and campaign for votes. The hashtag system keeps entries discoverable while giving parents an easy way to celebrate screen-light creativity.
Experiential
In-store Displays
Bundled PB&Js will be available at Walmart and NoFrills. This will give visibility and awareness to the contest. There's also a chalkboard for kids to draw on, aligning with our message on the importance for hands-on activities for children.
The Plush Star
From Jar to Plush Star
The winning character becomes a limited plush, turning participation into a tangible reward.
The Rollout
Comms framework · Proposed family campaign
A three-phase path from jar to plush star.
The Prompt
Weeks 1–4
- On-pack QR launch
- Hero social content
- Creator demos showing jar transformations
- Retail display introduction
The Contest
Weeks 5–8
- Microsite submissions
- UGC and voting push
- Finalist gallery reveal
The Plush Star
Weeks 9–12
- Winner announcement
- Limited plush production
- Retail and social reveal
- Community content celebrating entries
The Plan at Scale
A family-first campaign built around participation.
The recommended content mix prioritizes the places where parents make shopping decisions and where families are most likely to share finished creations: packaging, retail, short-form social, creator demos, and a voting microsite.
Student IMC project completed for Leo Toronto brief at Seneca Polytechnic @ York. Jif, Smucker's, and related marks belong to their owners. Campaign details are proposed for portfolio presentation, not live results.
Packaging & QR
On-pack contest prompt, scan flow, and purchase-to-participation bridge.
Microsite
Submission, voting, finalist gallery, and winner reveal hub.
Social & Creators
Craft demos, family UGC, voting reminders, and character reveals.
Experiential
Bundled PB&J displays, shelf talkers, and plush teaser signage.
Plush Production
Limited winner plush, content reveal, and collectibility payoff.