If the world learned anything from watching "Mad Men," it's that product advertising is an art form, a delicate dance of both form and function that harnesses the power of human persuasion. That's one approach. Of course, the folks responsible for a marketing campaign could just completely throw out the playbook and start posting a steady stream of surrealist psychedelic nightmare fuel infused with cats and clowns to their TikTok account. At least, that's what Nutter Butter has been doing since at least spring 2024.

In a world where advertisers sometimes spend millions on commercials just for them to end up getting banned from TV, Nutter Butter's enigmatic content harnesses the low-budget virality of analog horror shorts. Like all good viral marketing campaigns, the approach seems to be bringing attention to the brand that has always seemed to live in OREO's shadow. The more unhinged Nutter Butter's posts, the wider the account's reach.

As equally puzzled and fascinated TikTok users comment or share, more YouTube theorists start to contemplate the subtext of these chaotic neutral ads or whether they may hold a hidden ARG (alternate reality game). Most importantly, the cookie's social media team seems to be having a great time with it -- and so are their followers.