StarKist

Redefining tuna from comfort food to on-the-go, healthy protein.

  • INTEGRATED AD CAMPAIGN
  • DIGITAL TV
  • SOCIAL MEDIA
  • INFLUENCER MARKETING
Charlie the Tuna talking to Candace Cameron Bure
Work
Charlie the Tuna and Candace Cameron Bure on a living room film set

The Challenge

Tuna had an image problem. People saw it as comfort food — tuna melts, casseroles and mayonnaise’s main squeeze. The entire tuna category was on the decline. StarKist responded by inventing the no-drain pouch and filled it with flavored tuna. But adoption was slow, and sales lagged.

Insight:
People needed to learn to eat tuna again.

People weren’t buying StarKist pouches because they didn’t understand this new way of eating tuna. For this ad campaign case study and ad campaign example, we realized we had to do two things: demonstrate how to use the product, and redefine it in the context of on-the-go lifestyle, taking tuna out of the kitchen and into the world.

Solution

TEAR. EAT. GO.

We showed how simple eating from a tuna pouch really is – there’s no draining like with cans, so you literally just tear, eat, and go. That simple, instructive phrase became our rallying cry throughout our excellent example of broadcast, digital, and social media ad campaign that showed StarKist pouches anywhere and everywhere except the kitchen. We rehired the iconic Charlie the Tuna and paired him with star influencer Candace Cameron Bure to inspire on-the-go health and taste seekers in this delightfully flavorful protein-packed ad campaign case study.

StarKist Tear. Eat. Arm Day. artwork

Results

Since quench became StarKist’s lead agency in 2013, StarKist’s pouch compound annual growth rate skyrocketed to 199%.

+ 14.5% pouch sales growth YOY

StarKist was the only brand to grow in the category, and in fact, their growth was strong enough to offset the declines of all competitors, leading to flat category growth.

StarKist Tear. Eat. Explore. artwork
StarKist Tear. Eat. Run. artwork
  • INTEGRATED CAMPAIGN
  • TV
  • DIGITAL

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