Smiling person with orange hair and orange overalls kneels on grass among giant flower sculptures of peeled mandarins
Submitted by The Shelf Influencer Marketing AgencyAgency IPI Score 43/100

How Peelz Made Mandarins Trendy (and Drove 1.7M+ Interactions with Gen Z Snackers)

UGC Production

The Shelf ran a creator-led repositioning campaign for Peelz Citrus across TikTok and Instagram, reporting 41.1M total impressions and 1.7 million engagements against a 21M impressions goal.

2.5M@360val Instagram impressions
-26%CPM reduction
$1.84CPM
-26%CTR improvement

Case in 60 seconds

Peelz Citrus was read as a wholesome family snack in a produce aisle the page calls sleepy, so the brand needed to be repositioned for adults without abandoning a category that shoppers rarely think about at all.

The campaign appears to turn on the idea that mandarins were held back by tone rather than by product, because the page reports humor-driven creators doubled engagement against traditional lifestyle posts, which suggests attitude carried the category further than appetite appeal did.

The organizing thesis was that Peelz is citrus with a personality, expressed through three storytelling pillars, Unapologetically Bold, Influencers with a Bit, and Outside the Box, each carrying a different register of creative energy.

The Shelf activated 28 creators across TikTok and Instagram from micro to mega tiers, briefing each under one pillar and producing TikTok videos, Instagram in-feed posts, Stories and Reels, then allowlisting the strongest assets through Meta Advantage+ into paid media.

The Shelf reports 41.1M total impressions across TikTok and Instagram at 159 % of goal, 1.7M total engagements at 18 % above goal, 145 % of scoped assets (113 posts), and a $1.84 CPM on allowlisted ads.

Strategy Breakdown

Adult shoppers described on the page as Millennials and Gen Z, with top-of-funnel awareness targeted particularly at women aged 25 to 44 who are digital-first, discover products through social content, and are drawn to humor, aesthetics and authenticity over polish.
Fruit brands sit outside the cultural conversation because produce is bought on habit rather than identity, so The Shelf built the work around the claim that a mandarin could behave like a lifestyle product and be styled like a streetwear drop.
The page describes the mandarin category as owned by the kid snack and lunchbox narrative, which left Peelz competing on wholesomeness against products that had already claimed it, so the brief was to move the brand into an adult frame instead.
Peelz was positioned as the citrus brand that does not play it safe, functioning as an accessory inside creator content rather than as the subject of it, which is how the page describes assets such as the tablescape reel and the summer transition posts.
The audience is described as buying into brands that make them feel seen, which suggests the campaign was built to be recognised as a creator's own content first and a produce advertisement second, and the humor pillar carries most of that weight.

Creative & Execution System

Assets & channels

  • Instagram
  • Meta
  • TikTok
  • Instagram Reels
  • Instagram Stories
  • Instagram carousels
  • Instagram in-feed posts
  • Reels
  • Stories
  • TikTok videos
  • UGC
  • carousels
  • creator-led short-form video
  • in-feed posts
  • short-form video

Partners

  • The Shelf

Creator role

  • Akana — creator
  • Dani Dazey — creator
  • E T H A N — creator
  • Jane Williamson — creator
  • Kelli Erdmann — creator
  • ken [健] — creator
  • Khris Bajis — creator
  • Kimberly Anne — creator
  • Michelle Norris — creator
  • Val — creator
  • 28 creators across TikTok and Instagram, spanning micro to mega tiers

Results & Evidence

MetricValue
@360Val Instagram ImpressionsPulling in over 2.5 million impressions on Instagram, Val's content was both visually captivating and highly effective, making her a top performer in showcasing Peelz's brand positioning with energy and elegance.
CPM ReductionMeta's Advantage+ optimization cut CPM by 26% and improved CTR by 17%
CPMCPM $1.84 (↓ 30 % vs industry average)
CTR ImprovementMeta's Advantage+ optimization cut CPM by 26% and improved CTR by 17%
IG Stories Engagement RateIG Stories ER 2.52 % - 2.5 × benchmark
IG Stories Link Clicks53,680 link clicks + 3,463 sticker taps from IG Stories alone
Instagram Organic Engagements298K organic engagements on Instagram including likes, shares, and comments
Instagram Organic Impressions10M+ organic impressions on Instagram alone
Stories Shares1,171 shares | 1,042 profile visits | 222 replies on Stories
TikTok Engagement RateIn-feed ER 2.54 % | TikTok ER 1.37 % (organic + boosted)
Blended Engagement RateBlended Engagement Rate 4.58 % - nearly 2× typical paid media norms
Creator Reel ImpressionsHer Reel for the Peelz Citrus campaign was a standout, drawing in 3 million impressions and achieving an impressive 113% view ratio.
Creator EngagementsWith her following of 2.7 million, Kelli's content secured 19K engagements, showcasing a True Engagement Rate of 0.60%.
Creators ActivatedThe Shelf activated 28 creators across TikTok and Instagram, spanning micro to mega tiers.
Engagement Lift From Humor ContentHumor-driven, niche content doubled engagements and 4× shares compared to broader lifestyle posts.
Impressions Goal vs AchievedExceed KPIs for impressions (goal: 21M → achieved 41.1M) and engagements (goal: 1.2M → achieved 1.7M)
Link Clicks From Allowlisted Ads19,263 total link clicks from allowlisted ads
Paid CTRCTR 0.06 % (↑ 20 % vs benchmark)
Posts DeliveredInfluencer content over-delivered with 145 % of scoped assets (113 posts)
Saves vs Other Creator Groupsachieving 3x more shares and 3.5x more saves than other groups
Share of Videos Beating BenchmarkVideo outperformed static content - 69 % of videos beat impression benchmarks
Top Instagram Reel Views@kimtish (Top Instagram Reel): 1.2M views | 113 % view ratio | 2.5× engagement benchmark
Top TikTok Creator CTR@akana_official (Top TikTok Performer): 2.33M impressions | 9,760 clicks | 2.13 % CTR | 44 % of total campaign impressions
Total Engagements1.7M total engagements (18 % above goal)
Total Impressions41.1M total impressions across TikTok + Instagram (159 % of goal)

The Work

TikTokPost by @akana_official

Why The Shelf Influencer Marketing Agency's strategy worked

  1. 1

    Comedic register can outperform production polish in a low-interest category, because The Shelf reports creators who leaned into comedic edits and snack-sized scenarios doubled engagement compared with traditional lifestyle posts.

  2. 2

    Formats built for quick interaction can carry a campaign rather than sitting beneath the hero assets, since the agency reports IG Stories ER 2.52 % - 2.5 × benchmark alongside 53,680 link clicks + 3,463 sticker taps from IG Stories alone.

  3. 3

    Motion appears to be the safer default in produce content, because the page reports that 69 % of all videos exceeded impression benchmarks while static content trailed by what it calls a wide margin.

  4. 4

    Organic creator testing can function as a media buying input rather than a separate awareness exercise, since the page describes the strongest Reels being repurposed for paid and reports allowlisted ads returning a 4.58 % blended engagement rate.

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