Jif reworks its untouchable logo to escape the PB&J aisle
- Aug 11
- 3 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Jif is transforming its own sacred logo into action words like 'dip', 'sip' and 'mix' in a Publicis-led campaign designed to push the peanut butter brand beyond the sandwich — it currently features in just 4% of snacking occasions.
Breaking the one rule you never break
Jif's new 'Every Jif'ing Thing' campaign does the thing brands are told never to do: it messes with the logo. The famous red, blue and green wordmark is reworked into action words — 'dip', 'sip', 'mix' — to show the peanut butter being used well beyond PB&J.
The strategic problem is stark. Around 85% of consumers recognise the Jif logo, but most only link it to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and the brand appears in just 4% of total snacking occasions. Reworking the logo is a deliberate pattern-interrupt to reset those associations.
The idea and the execution
A 60-second hero spot set to a remix of 'O Fortuna' morphs the logo through its new uses, backed by a mock cooking show and creator content — including peanut butter ramen — running across broadcast, streaming, online video, Meta, TikTok and Pinterest.
The roster is pure Publicis: BBH USA on creative, PSOne (Publicis' bespoke Smucker unit) coordinating, Zenith on media, Digitas on social, Saatchi X on commerce and MSL on PR. 'Jif's logo is so recognisable that changing it felt almost forbidden, which is exactly what made the idea fun,' said BBH USA's Yohan Daver.
Why 'distinctive asset' brands are loosening up
For decades, best practice said guard your distinctive assets — logo, colours, sonic cues — with your life. Jif isn't abandoning that; it's flexing the asset to stretch the use case while keeping it instantly recognisable.
Our read: this is asset elasticity, not asset abandonment. When your brand is famous but boxed into one occasion, the growth lever isn't more awareness — it's more occasions. Reworking the logo around new uses is a smart, memorable way to expand the mental menu.
What brand owners can learn
If your brand is strongly linked to a single occasion, your ceiling is that occasion's size. Audit where else you could credibly show up, then dramatise it — don't just claim it in a tagline no one remembers.
And don't be so precious about your assets that you never use them to tell a new story. The rule isn't 'never touch the logo'; it's 'never make it unrecognisable'. Jif stayed recognisable and got talked about — the best of both.
Quick FAQ
What is Jif's 'Every Jif'ing Thing' campaign?
A Publicis-led campaign that reworks Jif's logo into action words like 'dip', 'sip' and 'mix' to show the peanut butter used beyond PB&J, across TV, streaming and social.
Why is Jif changing its logo?
Jif appears in only about 4% of snacking occasions and is strongly linked to peanut butter and jelly, so the campaign aims to expand it into dips, smoothies, protein bowls and more.
Which agencies made the Jif campaign?
BBH USA led creative under Publicis' PSOne unit, with Zenith on media, Digitas on social, Saatchi X on commerce and MSL on PR.
— Alicia Morris, Creative & Campaigns Writer at Marketing Minute
When a brand is famous but boxed into one occasion, the growth lever isn't more awareness — it's more occasions, and Jif is dramatising exactly that.
Is your brand's fame trapped in a single occasion — and what would it take to expand the menu?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Marketing Dive; J.M. Smucker; BBH USA.
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Written by Alicia Morris, Creative & Campaigns Writer at Marketing Minute
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