BRACH’S is giving the classic holiday candy cane a new cultural moment. In a fresh campaign developed by creative agency Rethink, the brand highlights the irresistible nature of its candy canes — treats so flavorful and aromatic that they rarely remain simply as decorations.
For generations, placing candy canes on Christmas trees has been a beloved tradition. Yet, while many brands are admired for their festive appearance, BRACH’S notes that its candy canes are known for being eaten. The campaign introduces the tagline “Decorations You Can’t Not Eat”, positioning BRACH’S candy canes not just as ornaments, but as holiday indulgences worth enjoying.
“Everyone loves the look of candy canes on the tree, but BRACH’S are so good they never make it to Christmas morning,” said Matt Escalante, VP of BRACH’S and Seasonal. “Rethink helped us capture those funny, familiar family moments when the candy canes keep disappearing — and no one wants to admit who did it.”
The centerpiece of the campaign is a humorous film showing a family sneaking the candy canes off the Christmas tree, each trying to hide their playful mischief. Running nationally across social platforms, OTT streaming, and online video, the campaign aims to tap into shared holiday nostalgia and lighthearted family dynamics.
Beyond the film, the campaign introduces a practical — and surprising — innovation: The Cane Opener. Designed to solve the long-standing struggle of unwrapping candy canes without breaking them, the device uses a simple mechanism to open the wrapper cleanly. Fans will be able to purchase the tool starting November 17 at TheCaneOpener.com.
“Candy canes are one of the only decorations you can actually eat. You definitely can’t eat Christmas lights — that would be chaos,” joked Tara Lawall, Chief Creative Officer at Rethink NY. “And since they’re famously difficult to open, we thought: let’s fix that. So we built a real solution.”
The campaign continues Rethink and BRACH’S ongoing effort to refresh seasonal candy classics. It follows recent work repositioning BRACH’S Candy Corn as a defining symbol of fall, and comes ahead of collaborations featuring BRACH’S Sweet Bright Conversation Hearts during Valentine’s season.
With humor, nostalgia, and an inventive twist, BRACH’S invites everyone to rediscover the joy — and the temptation — of the candy cane tradition.
