AdMiration feature: Tootsie Pop's “How Many Licks”

For this week’s AdMiration feature, we looked at consumer response to Tootsie Pop's “How Many Licks" ad, which introduces a refreshed version of the brand’s 1970s classic commercial. 

Read on to get our 3-2-1 snapshot of the ad (3 facts, 2 learnings and 1 reflection) and learn how their ad was received based on our data.

The ad opens to a familiar (but clearly upgraded) image for some: a splotchy orange background with an illustrated animation of a turtle as a similarly styled boy walks up holding a Tootsie Pop. 

As he reaches the turtle, the boy asks, “Mr. Turtle, how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?” To which Mr. Turtle responds, “I’ve never made it without biting. Ask Mr. Owl.” 

The scene shifts to an even more familiar green background where Mr. Owl can be seen perched on a tree branch. The boy approaches and asks, “Mr. Owl, how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?” Mr. Owl takes the Tootsie Pop and says, “Let’s find out.” As he begins to lick the pop, he counts, “One, two-hoo-hoo, thrrr-ee” and then takes a big bite of it, eating the Tootsie Pop whole. 

Mr. Owl hands the stick back to the boy, who looks defeated as he stares at the empty Tootsie Pop stick the owl just enjoyed. The ad concludes with an animated illustration of all five tootsie pop flavors being unwrapped and slowly diminishing as the narrator says, “How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?” which ends with a chomp! sound to reveal the Tootsie Roll core as the narrator concludes, “The world may never know.” The ad ends with an image of a single cherry flavored Tootsie Pop appearing across a sky background with a badge stating that it’s peanut butter and gluten free in the corner. 

3 facts

• This was a very strong and nostalgia-fueled ad from Tootsie Pop, landing in the top 5% of US ads for ability to drive short-term sales (Sales Impact: 96) and brand equity over the long term (Brand Impact: 94). 

• Tootsie Pop does an exceptional job at communicating who the ad is for with this refreshed ad. By simply updating the graphics and shortening the length of this timeless spot, viewers were able to instantly recognize the brand (Unaided Brand Recall: 81% vs. 70% norm) with nearly half stating that the characters from the original were the reason why they knew who the ad was for. It helps that the entire store of the ad revolves around the Tootsie Pop, so the story can’t be summarized without it. Over two thirds talk about the brand by recalling the line “How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.” 

• Delivering that enjoyable hit of nostalgia, this remake makes for a highly emotionally resonant ad (Overall Emotion: 75 vs. 57 norm), landing in that sweet spot of being loved while also making people laugh (Love: 45% vs. 27% norm, Laughter: 16% vs. 7%).  

2 learnings

• Nostalgia is a great element for successful advertising. And the Tootsie Pop brand clearly knows this because it has been airing the original ad since 1969! Many people have fond memories of watching the original ad over the years, but even younger people who may be less familiar with the ad still love it, as it reminds viewers of the carefree feeling of just being a kid and trying to figure out how many licks it would take you to get to the center of the lollipop. And while the ad is old, it’s not seen as dated. It’s still seen as distinctive today!

• Sometimes DBAs can be so good, viewers recognize your brand through them well before your logo appears. In this case, while the Tootsie Pop itself was well branded and in every scene, 49% of viewers said it was the characters who helped them instantly recognize the brand — which speaks to how memorable and iconic the original ad (still) is. Even though it was released in 1969, the spot has become a timeless hit with instantly recognizable characters that cue the brand — a brilliant success for Tootsie Pop. 

1 reflection

Have you ever heard the phrase, “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it?” While it can be tempting to do a major rebrand in the hope of reaching new generations, Tootsie Pop proves that consistency and timelessness can work if you have a great idea to start with and the patience to stick with it and evolve it.

The brand has been airing their “How Many Licks?” ad for so long because people love it (Love: 45% vs. 27% norm ) and it keeps the brand top of mind, even after all these years. On what they like about the ad so much, some shared, “I liked how this ad is not only timeless but it's fun and makes you want to buy Tootsie Pops” , "I remember seeing this ad growing up as a kid. It's a classic to me" and “I loved seeing the boy, the turtle and the owl. Brings back simple times and memories. Plus the Tootsie Pop is still great.”

The brand chose to lean into the adoration of this spot as is and simply update the graphics for a digital age — because the ad itself still works! So why “fix” it? Mark Ritson always says we get bored of our own brand assets way before consumers do. This ad is a great reminder to not throw away what’s working just to chase new things! 

Just in time for Halloween, Tootsie Pop's famous “How Many Licks?” ad from the 1970s has gotten a makeover. 

Redrawn by animation house Calabash and led by SCC, the spot keeps its original styling and main characters, complete with a new voiceover and high-res animation, but with a few edits: the boy has clothes (!) and this shortened version just includes Mr. Turtle and Mr. Owl (no Mr. Cow and Mr. Fox this time around).

The brand shared that “Mr. Owl is ready to connect with a new generation,” with Craig Miller, SCC’s COO, adding, “Many of us grew up with Mr. Owl and looked forward to seeing this commercial every year. Being entrusted with such a beloved piece of culture, we wanted to respect its heritage while modernizing it for the next generations.”

Henry Mills, Tootsie Roll Industries’ COO shared, “Nostalgia continues to be a driving force in today’s culture, and few characters are as iconic and fun as Mr. Owl.”

The refreshed spot will air on TV, YouTube and social media from now through Halloween.

Chock-full of nostalgia and that sneaky owl, this was an exceptionally strong ad from Tootsie Pop that landed in the top 5% of US ads for ability to drive short-term sales (Sales Impact: 96) and brand equity over the long term (Brand Impact: 94). 

With minimal edits to its original spot, it made for a very distinctive ad (Distinctiveness: 4.3 vs. 3.7 norm), allowing it to drive great reach, be noticed and remembered (Claimed Attention 4.4 vs. 3.9 norm, Brand Distinctiveness 4.3 vs. 3.7 norm) by all. 

In fact, it was hard for viewers not to know who the ad was for as soon as it began. The ad received a higher than average brand recall score (Unaided Brand Recall: 81% vs. 70% norm) with the Tootsie Pop itself being at the heart of the story of the ad and 61% of people stating the words “Tootsie” and/or “Pop” or the Tootsie Pop logo were how they recognized the brand in the ad. 

Plus, 49% of viewers said it was the characters who helped them instantly recognize the brand — which speaks to how memorable and iconic the original ad is.

Viewers found the ad very easy to understand (Understanding: 4.6 vs. 4.3 norm) — likely because they’ve seen the original version many times.

And after watching the timeless spot today, viewers agreed that:

• Tootsie Pops are delicious (54%) 

• They are nostalgic (49%)

• They offer a variety of flavors (48%)

Unsurprisingly, this nostalgia-fueled ad also resonated very strongly with viewers. People really enjoyed it (Enjoyment: 4.5 vs. 3.9 norm), found it to be very relevant to them (Relevance: 4.1 vs. 3.7 norm) and felt that the Tootsie Pop brand delivers what need from candy brand (Brand Meets Needs: 4.4 vs. 4.1 norm) after watching. 

Diving deeper into how people felt about it, the ad connected emotionally with viewers (Overall Emotion: 75 vs. 57 norm), landing in that sweet spot of being loved while also making people laugh (Love: 45% vs. 27% norm, Laughter: 16% vs. 7%).  

Overall, there’s a mix of love and like throughout the whole ad and laughter at the key moments. Laughter steadily increases through the boy’s entire interaction with Mr. Owl, resulting in the highest peak of emotion in the ad when Mr. Owl bites the Tootsie Pop. There’s also a small peak of surprise at that same moment. After that, it’s all love through to the end of the ad!

Respondents talked a lot about the nostalgia of the ad, remembering it from their childhood and calling it “timeless” and “classic.” They mentioned the good feelings the ad evoked as well as their love for the characters and new animation. 

Here’s what some shared specifically: 

• "I love that the ad is so nostalgic and brings back childhood memories. I like the graphics because they are very well done and still bring out the nostalgia for me without changing much to it. I like the characters because they are cute and lighthearted."

• "I liked how this ad is not only timeless but it's fun and makes you want to buy Tootsie Pops. The young boy and the owl are the best parts of the ad."

• "I like the use of the cartoon characters and that there is humor in the ad. I like the ending showing the flavors and the line, ‘the world may never know.’"

• "I loved seeing the boy, the turtle and the owl. Brings back simple times and memories. Plus the Tootsie Pop is still great."

• "I liked how simple the ad was and I liked the boy and the owl and turtle in the ad too."

• "This brings me back to when I was a kid this commercial has been around for years"

• "I loved the nostalgia of it. It's been airing on my TV since I was a kid."

• "I remember seeing this ad growing up as a kid. It's a classic to me."

• "I like the old school cartoon graphics. The comedy."

• "I love the animation and the lollipop looks delicious! I love how classic the commercial is because it’s really nostalgic."

• "I liked the colorful visuals, the cheerful music and how the ad made Tootsie Pops feel fun, nostalgic and enjoyable for everyone."

What a wonderful hit of revitalized nostalgia from Tootsie Pop! What did you think? Let us know by interacting with our coverage of the ad on LinkedIn.

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