When I first started working on StarKist, they asked for their “Just Do It” tagline. No easy feat. To add to the challenge, they wanted the line to help educate consumers on how to use their new pouches because people were so used to cans they didn’t quite get what to do with them. “Do we drain them? Nuke them? Refrigerate them?” After presenting line after line after line, “Tear. Eat. Go.” became the winning tagline and idea that helped StarKist become the only brand to grow in a declining category by +4.3%.
After re-introducing Charlie to consumers, we tapped Candace Cameron Bure to help introduce StarKist’s flavored pouches and reinforce their role as part of an active and healthy lifestyle. Through TV, digital, social, traditional, promotional and in-store communication, we introduced new flavors, grain and vegetable and other protein pouches (Chicken? Chicken!) and grew StarKist sales to 14.5% year-over-year. That success eventually helped us win all their social business as well.
But probably the coolest thing about working on StarKist was getting to direct the voice of Charlie. Sorry, not sorry, Charlie.