The “Chilean Sea Bass”-labeled Goldfish is a temporary rebrand aimed at adults.
Goldfish has appointed Mischief @ No Fixed Address as its creative agency of record, and its first work for the brand centers on a fun rebrand.
For a limited time, Goldfish will rebrand its cheddar snacks “Chilean Sea Bass” as a quirky way to reinforce the idea that the Campbell Soup Co. brand’s crackers aren’t just for kids.
Goldfish previously worked with Publicis Groupe, specifically its Saatchi & Saatchi and Leo Burnett agencies. The agencies referred calls for comment to the client.
Publicis will continue to work with other Campbell’s snack brands such as Pepperidge Farm, Snyder’s of Hanover, Snack Factory and more, Janda Lukin, executive VP and chief marketing officer, Campbell Snacks, confirmed.
The Chilean Sea Bass campaign took about six weeks to implement, Lukin said.
For the week of Oct. 23-30, snackers can visit ChileanSeaBassCrackers.com to purchase two bags of the rebranded crackers. The name will remain Goldfish in stores. The decision to drop the limited-edition crackers online was due to a short turnaround time, but having them only available online makes the offer feel more exclusive, she said.
Greg Hahn, chief creative officer and founder of Mischief, said the agency chose a name that feels like a “fake name” to make it clear that Goldfish is making a tongue-in-cheek joke.
The “rebrand” marks Goldfish’s latest effort to attract more adults and Gen Z consumers. (Campbell Soup Co. is undergoing a rebrand of its own, preparing to drop “soup” from its name pending a shareholder vote in November.)
Goldfish pivoted to targeting a family audience more than three years ago after being known as a kids’ snack brand for decades, said Lukin.
The campaign includes a 30-second online video, a partnership with creator “Dude With Sign,” a media buy that spans online video and social media placements across Meta, Reddit and TikTok and earned media efforts.
More than 50% of Goldfish buyers are adults, and Gen Z adults are six times more likely than any other age group to purchase Goldfish crackers, according to the brand. Lukin said there’s “tremendous upside” in improving household penetration.
The brand previously launched Old Bay seasoned Goldfish crackers and a collaboration with Frank’s RedHot to appeal to adult palates.
Saatchi & Saatchi created the brand’s 2021 #GoForTheHandful challenge, which featured NBA players Boban Marjanović and Tobias Harris, with support from Leo Burnett. Saatchi & Saatchi also created Goldfish’s “Tiny Hands” spot in October 2022.
Lukin said the brand had been talking to agencies but had not launched a formal review. Instead, it chose Mischief as its AOR after the agency came up with the idea for this work. Lukin said Mischief stood out among the rest due to its body of work and chemistry during meetings.
Goldfish is a $1 billion brand, accounting for a quarter of Campbell’s snack portfolio. Campbell is targeting $1.3 billion in annual Goldfish sales by fiscal 2027, executives said during its investor meeting in September.
It’s a significant win for Mischief, whose other food and beverage industry clients include Pizza Hut and Molson Coors.
