Bringing tha heat
A Midwestern, family-run business in their 75th year, Red Gold Tomatoes, was looking to spice up their product line and attract people who maybe didn’t have families (ok, let’s call them millennials). So they partnered with Huy Fong to create Sriracha Tomatoes — a new line of spicy ketchup, tomatoes, and salsa. It was a departure from their previous products, and they wanted to generate some new fans. This meant they also had to spice up their messaging a bit without compromising its elegance, and then broadcast it into channels they hadn’t used much before.
The approach
This one goes to 11
Using influencers, paid search and social channels, we took steps to separate Red Gold Sriracha from the noise in most feeds. Social channels can become echo chambers, which isn’t great if you want to reach new audiences. So we used influencers you might not typically associate with food to get the word out in exciting new ways, and they were able to deliver a big impact on a relatively small spend.
The tomato and the rooster
Red Gold and Huy Fong came together in an exciting way, and were able to extend their brands into previously unexplored realms.
Extending the family
A family-owned company built around family farms wanted to bring millennials (the ones that haven’t moved back into their parents’ basement) into the fold, but remain connected to the core audience.
Mixing it up
We really love the new Sriracha Tomatoes, and the opportunity to create new ways to spice things up for this trusted brand. The internet has a way of rewarding extremes, and we wanted to have a little fun with that.
“We saw the product, understood that we had a hit on our hands, and knew we had to get it out to as many people as possible. So we took a route that Red Gold hadn’t entertained before, and targeted millennials knowing that they have an affinity for Huy Fong Sriracha (you, know the rooster sauce). We saw a lot of success and ate a lot of Sriracha Salsa while we did it.”
The work
Spice up your life
Red Gold Tomatoes had worked with influencers with some success before, so there was an appetite to explore a little further (which we love and were eager to reward). We engaged comedians, lifestyle bloggers, and of course, foodies. This allowed the brand to introduce itself in surprising new ways. In addition to the influencers, we created some spicy memes and recipe videos to engage with our new audience.
Content with a kick
Meme-style cinemagraphs showcased how spicy the ketchup, salsa and tomatoes were, and brought an edge that Red Gold hasn’t had before.
Enough with the noise
Red Gold moved out of the normal food influencer universe and avoided being lost in the noise. After all, it’s not just foodies that need to eat.
A full plate
We provided an integrated digital campaign plan for Red Gold. Our strategy crossed channels and worked in tandem with existing campaigns — something that Red Gold didn’t normally do. This meant they could get more out of their existing assets.
The results
Red hot results
Our effort to push the envelope really paid off — the initial Sriracha campaign saw results well beyond our expectations. Influencers created engagement, our meme cinemagraphs created a lot of social media chatter, and our Tasty-style recipe videos got a lot of traction. Red Gold came back and engaged us with an even larger campaign for their base products.