Is the Kardashian Collab a Sweet Success or Set to Crumbl?
Crumbl isn’t shy when it comes to star-studded collabs. From Olivia Rodrigo and Jimmy Kimmel to the Jonas Brothers, their cookie game has had serious celebrity flair and now, the Kardashian-Jenner clan is getting a taste. Honestly, we can barely keep up!
The internet was instantly hooked on Crumbl’s latest celebrity collab, with fans flocking to stores to sample the new Kardashian-inspired flavors. Both die-hard supporters and curious skeptics took a bite, and the reviews were mixed. Some left no crumbs, others said one bite was more than enough.
But one thing’s for sure: Crumbl knows how to make noise. With an estimated $2 billion valuation reported earlier this year, the brand is baking its way to the top of the cookie industry. And the hype doesn’t stop at the U.S. border either. Crumbl has become a sought-after commodity in countries where it’s not even available. Last year, an Aussie duo made headlines for shipping boxes of cookies on a 24-hour-plus flight from the U.S. to Australia, then set up shop to resell them. Let’s just say Crumbl’s lawyers probably weren’t too thrilled!
As Crumbl continues building a cookie empire to rival the Kardashian brand itself, there’s little doubt we’ll be seeing more A-list collaborations hitting stores soon. But the real question is: are these celebrity collabs a recipe for long-term success or just a short-term sugar rush? To keep the momentum going, Crumbl will need to find ways to turn star power into staying power, because in the world of viral treats, hype can crumble fast.
Putting the Recipe to the Test
We’ve explored a range of celebrity collaborations across advertising and innovation. Earlier this year, The Limited Edition Stormzy Meal launched at McDonald’s, while brands like Dunkin, Oreo, and Levi’s partnered with some of the biggest names in music. Each of these collaborations had one thing in common: they generated excitement and positioned the products for short-term success.
At the same time, these partnerships revealed a deeper insight. The most effective celebrity collaborations begin with a natural alignment between the product and the celebrity. In System1: Unlocking Profitable Growth, John Kearon introduces the 80:20 golden ratio for innovation. According to this principle, successful new products are 80 percent familiar, measured by happiness, and 20 percent new, measured by surprise, as assessed by our Test Your Innovation tool. It’s grounded in basic behavioral science; the more familiar something is, the more positive we feel, and the more positive we feel, the more likely we are to make a purchase.
When Kris Jenner teamed up with Oreo for their 2024 Super Bowl campaign, featuring teasers of her stacking Oreos in a giant cookie jar, it felt authentic. The campaign was playful, poking fun at her daughter Khloe, and tapped into cultural cues the audience already knew. By contrast, the most obvious connection between Crumbl and the Kardashians might just be Kourtney’s famously gluten-free, sugar-free, fun-free dessert routine.
But did real consumers agree? Here’s how we put them to the test. Leveraging the predictive power of consumer emotion through System1’s Test Your Innovation platform, we evaluated whether this partnership was a hit or underbaked. Using a rating scale from 1.0 to 5.9 Stars, Test Your Innovation quantifies emotional response, providing a clear benchmark to assess product ideas, taglines, slogans, and pack designs with a nationally representative sample of consumers. We assessed three key ingredients:
- Emotional Pull: Using our FaceTrace® tool, we measured emotional resonance to determine how effectively the cookie range resonated with consumers.
- Share Trading: We gauged consumers’ willingness to “buy” or “sell” the collab, revealing key insights into purchasing behaviour and preferences.
- Decision Speed: We tracked how quickly and instinctively consumers engaged with the product. Fast reactions were positively weighted, while slower responses were penalised, offering a nuanced view of enthusiasm and spontaneous engagement.
Consumers Aren’t as Kardashian Krazy as You Think, But Crumbl’s Collab Still Hit the Sweet Spot (For Now)
The consumers have spoken, and surprise surprise, they’re not as Kardashian obsessed as public perception might suggest. That said, Crumbl’s latest celebrity collaboration is far from a flop. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea (or cookie), but it stirred up plenty of emotional reactions, the kind that fuel viral success and short-term sales spikes.
Let’s be real. Love them or hate them, the Kardashians are a guilty pleasure for many, just like trialing Crumbl’s newest cookie drop. The brand played it smart by branding the range as limited edition. When your collaboration is this polarizing, long-term viability isn’t the goal. Hype is.
And hype it got.
While Kourtney’s gluten free, Goop-inspired cookie missed the mark with many, the broader appeal of the collection’s five signature cookies helped soften the blow. For those not swayed by wellness, the variety offered something familiar and indulgent. Consumers were still willing to fork over $21.49 for the box, not far off the full $22.99 price tag.
Some backlash was inevitable. Many called the collaboration mismatched, questioning why the already wealthy Kardashians needed another brand partnership. But controversy only added fuel to the fire. After all, a viral campaign doesn’t require universal approval, just attention.
The takeaway? Crumbl engineered a moment, not a movement. The collaboration was designed to spark debate, dominate TikTok feeds, and drive impulse purchases. And it did. But if the brand is thinking long term, future collaborations should better align with celebrity personas. Picture a line with Martha Stewart or Stanley Tucci, influencers who are both food adjacent and far less divisive.
Crumbl had the right recipe for short-term success. But for sustainability, next time, they might want to keep the cookies and lose the Kardashians.
Create with Confidence
Launching a new celebrity collab in time for a movie release, cultural moment or pop-tour? System1’s Test Your Innovation platform enables you to test new products, packaging, messaging, taglines before launching to market, predicting their success well before launch.