Totino’s targets teens and touchdowns with Tim Robinson and Sam Richardson

Totino’s is turning to the funny guys to take on football season.

This month, Totino’s introduced the adorable alien Chazmo to the world with the help of I Think You Should Leave and Detroiters stars Tim Robinson and Sam Richardson in a new campaign spotlighting the pizza snack’s affordability.

The campaign is part of the brand’s effort to continue building out an “entertainment-first content approach,” according to Totino’s brand experience manager Taylor Roseberry.

“Comedy’s always just kind of been a part of the DNA of this brand,” Roseberry told Marketing Brew. “And I think this brand has always showed up not taking itself too seriously, and has always been very light-hearted and used comedy as a way to connect, which we know resonates with our teen audience as well.”

Out of this world

The campaign, called “Chazmo Goes Home,” features Robinson and Richardson as two suburban dads interacting with Chazmo after a visit. As the friendly extra-terrestrial is leaving to return to his home planet, the dads ask the alien about paying them back for the Totino’s Pizza Rolls it ate—to which Chazmo gently informs them of the snack’s low cost.

When discussing who could star in the spots, the team focused on bringing Totino’s value message to life in a brand-authentic way, which meant homing in on humor, Roseberry said. “As we thought about who could be the right fit, Tim Robinson and Sam Richardson came to mind right away for us,” she said. “They just have such a unique form of comedy that is absurd and unexpected and lighthearted.”

In keeping true to Robinson and Richardson’s particular brand of humor, Totino’s brought on Detroiters and I Think You Should Leave co-creator, producer, and writer Zach Kanin and I Think You Should Leave director Alice Mathias to write and direct the spot, respectively. It’s one of Kanin and Mathias’s first branded scripts, according to the company.

A snack for teens and football

The campaign, which features three different spots and will run across digital, social media, and streamers, including Paramount+, Hulu, Peacock, and Vix, which Roseberry says is designed to reach younger viewers.

“We specifically picked these because we are looking to reach and resonate with teens and teens’ families, and we know that that is where they’re consuming content,” Roseberry said.

The ads are running on platforms frequented by teens because “we view ourselves as that kind of go-to after-school snack,” Roseberry said.

“When we think about where our biggest opportunity is, it really is that everyday snacking for teens after school, when they’re hungry after school and they’re looking for something that’ll fill them up and they can eat while they’re also enjoying their own favorite activities,” she added.

Totino’s will run the spots against sports programming in an effort to continue positioning Pizza Rolls as a game-day snack, Roseberry said. The brand previously ran ads during the 2024 NFL playoffs, and was the presenting sponsor of Big 12 Football Media Day this year.

Viewers can expect to see Robinson, Richardson, and Chazmo through the end of the NFL season in February, Roseberry said.