Issue #31: Is Crumbl crumbling?
Unpacking how Crumbl has maintained such virality in recent years
Is anyone else deep in CrumblTok? (And is that a thing?) While I abstain from TikTok and, lately, Instagram, I have unfortunately fallen victim to the wrath of YouTube Shorts, which is like TikTok except way worse at knowing their audience. As I consistently joke, YouTube Shorts thinks I’m a millennial mother of three living in Salt Lake City based on the videos they show me.
YouTube Shorts has been feeding me (no pun intended) Crumbl Cookie taste test videos, and I’m hooked. The group chat is talking about it too…
But here’s the thing: the prevalence of Crumbl cookie reviews have been a mainstay on TikTok for years. Just take a look at the publication dates on these headlines:
So, what’s happening with Crumbl, and how have they sustained such virality over the years?
Crumbl releases new and unique flavors every week in their weekly cookie drops.
Crumbl operates on a drop release business model, which is the perfect recipe for social media virality. Unlike traditional bakeries that may be known for one famous, unchanging product, Crumbl surprises and delights customers with new flavors every week.
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The new flavors give influencers/taste-testers something new to tease on social channels week over week. Unlike Magnolia Bakery, where an influencer might post about their banana pudding once and then never post about Magnolia Bakery again, Crumbl has created a business model that is ripe for weekly content creation.
Plus, the flavors are limited-edition, building exclusivity and driving customers to stores within a narrow time period. It’s a smart model.
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Crumbl releases limited-edition cookies through strategic partnerships with Gen Z-favorite brands and celebs.
Crumbl has engaged in some pretty strategic partnerships with big names, including Olivia Rodrigo during her Guts tour this year.
Earlier this year, a Crumbl spokesperson shared that “Crumbl locations in cities where [Olivia Rodrigo] is performing will sell the cookie the week of her concert.” And after the tour ends, the cookie will become widely available in Crumbl stores. By creating even more exclusivity around the product, they’re driving demand.
And earlier this summer, Kylie Jenner reviewed Crumbl cookies and documented it in this TikTok.
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Less than a month later, Crumbl partnered with Kylie Cosmetics to celebrate the launch of a new skin tint with speciality cookies, only available at the West Hollywood Crumbl location.
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Partnering with Gen Z-favorite celebrities and brands helps Crumbl align with Gen Z audiences and drive sales among celebrity or partner brand fans who might not have tried Crumbl otherwise. Their exclusive partnership cookies also drive further social chatter. I think they could benefit from actually doing more partnerships in the coming months.
The viral Crumbl cookie taste test videos may fulfill a potentially problematic obsession with watching other people eat.
While this one is less related to their marketing strategy, I think that Crumbl taste test videos fulfill a strange obsession that we have with watching other people eat, similar to the way Mukbangs are alluring. (If you don’t know what a Mukbang is, it’s a video where someone eats a lot of food while talking to the camera.)
I think that the reason we’re drawn to Crumbl review videos parallels our psychological attraction to Mukbangs. As messed up as it is, watching other people eat food in Mukbangs – and cookies in Crumbl taste test videos – might be considered ways to satisfy the desire for actual food/cookies. Disagree with me if you’d like, but I think there’s a little bit of that going on here.
The cookie quality is divisive, which makes people want to try them even more.
A lot of people don’t think Crumbl is all that good. And the polarization of the cookie actually drives more sales, since taste test viewers want to get in on the debate. I, for one, had never tried a Crumbl cookie prior to this week, but I really wanted to know whether the social craze was justified! A polarized audience is an engaged audience, and it has definitely benefited Crumbl.
It’s not all sugar and sprinkles, though. Crumbl sales have declined in recent months, and they’re closing some stores around the country. It’s not a huge surprise to me, since bakeries have a hard time sustaining buzz over time. Just think of how the Levain hype has died down since 2019, or even how the Magnolia Bakery banana pudding hype is a fraction of what it was earlier this year.
Since I was writing about Crumbl this week, I had to try them. So after work yesterday, my friends
and Nina and I hiked up to Crumbl’s Chelsea location. The line was ridiculously long for a Wednesday evening at 7:30 PM, so we placed a mobile order for three mini cookies: the S’mores Brownie, Milk Chocolate Chip, and Berries & Cream.We did film a taste test but unfortunately it was of rather poor quality to include here. Please see our numerical ratings below!
S’mores Brownie:
Caroline: 6
Zoya: 6
Nina: 7.2
Milk Chocolate Chip:
Caroline: 8
Zoya: 8
Nina: 8.4
Berries & Cream: We couldn’t do this one justice since we weren’t able to break it apart very well :/
By the way, I received a really great response to my interview with my sister, Gemma, a few weeks ago. I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and I’m thinking about starting a series of monthly Gen Z chats with younger members of the generation (think: 14-20 year olds). I may even continue to experiment with more audio and video content… Comment or reply below to let me know if you’d be interested, and thank you for reading! Gemma is a celeb now :)
Your blog is awesome but kind of ironic how you published yours a day after I just posted a blog with the EXACT title. Not very original🤥
Need to peruse LinkedIn and see who’s on the crumbl marketing team. Might endorse them for creativity, etc