The urgency to pack more protein into our diets has created a corollary surge. Dried meat snacks are trending with the health & wellness cognoscenti. But there is a large untapped market that sits on the sidelines – and a past as petrol station snacks and fuel for macho muscle-builders is keeping them there.
Yumbo, a bigger, bolder, meatier meat stick option by Carl Buddig & Co has enlisted Havas Chicago to rewrite the meat stick story.
The agency’s humorous campaign is built around Mindy, the meathead you don’t expect, in a mockumentary-style commercial, Meat for Real Meatheads, directed by Sanctuary director, Brandt Lewis. The film tells the story of Mindy Porter, a sweet young woman who has had a big meat craving since the moment she could crawl. In fact, her first word was tenderloin. Her intense love of meat has had some rather awkward social consequences but now she has found Yumbo, the socially acceptable way to satisfy her meat cravings …without setting her office on fire.
The full campaign will run across various online video platforms and paid social, with cutdowns of the hero spot running on Hulu CTV, Disney, ESPN, YouTube, META and TikTok. Additional social and digital assets will also roll out as the campaign runs through October.
This is Havas Chicago’s first campaign for the new Yumbo brand since being selected as agency of record for parent company, Carl Buddig & Company, the family-owned and operated manufacturer of quality meats and snack products, in March.
Jeff Beck, SVP, group creative director at Havas Chicago, commented, “The meat stick category is an incredibly crowded one, so we knew the only way to break through to a younger audience would be with a campaign that zigs when others zag. Many meat stick brands are trying to appeal to men in a hyper-masculine, hyper-loud way. Instead we made the intentional choice to feature a female who flips the phrase “meathead” on its head in a hilarious way. Ultimately it was our way of challenging outdated stereotypes and proudly proclaiming YUMBO is for anyone with an insatiable craving for meat.”
Matt Barlow, vice president of brand and commerce marketing at Buddig, added, “When our team and Havas got together it was clear that in order to break through, we were going to have to creatively push ourselves. With so many meatstick options out there, introducing a new brand is a challenge and our team wanted to be sure consumers knew why YUMBO is different. Meat for Real Meatheads is more than just a product launch – it’s a defiance of all the other brands out there that say meatsticks are just for a certain type of person. We want our product to be for all protein-seeking snackers. And Havas Chicago did a brilliant job – not only introducing this new snack option, but also challenging the category standards.”
Credits:
Client: Carl Buddig & Co [Yumbo]
Marketing Manager: Kelly Zaborniak
Brand Manager: Charlie Kuoni
Vice President: Matt Barlow
Creative Agency: Havas North America
Chief Creative Officer: Frank Dattalo
SVP, Group Creative Director: Jeff Beck
Copywriter: Peter Cevallos
Art Director: Eric Thompson
Associate Creative Directors: Jared Owenby & Jane Owenby
Creative Director: Brett Edwards
Account Manager: Tommy Boyd
Account Director: Michael Pluszczynski
SVP Strategy Director: Claudia Reeder
Strategist: Brianne Johnson
SVP Executive Business Director & head of Social: Ashley Rosenow
Business Lead: Danielle Smalls
Executive Producer: Jason Passaniti
Vice President: Jason Georgen
Production Company: Sanctuary Content
Line Producer: Ross Zuchowski
Head of Production: Elisha Gustafson
Executive Producer: Preston Lee
Director: Brandt Lewis
Post Production : Company 3 LA
Producer: Jenny Roberts
Colourist: Tyler Roth
Post Production & VFX: Flavor
Producer: Yianni Frangos
Managing Director: Neal Cohen
Editing: Cutters Studios
Editor: Grant Gustafson
Producer: Yianni Frangos
Executive Producer: Heather Richardson
Edit Assistant: Kaeley Melahiphy
Sound: Another Country
Sound Producer: Josh Hunnicutt
Managing Director: Tim Konn
Sound Engineer: Drew Weir
