Goldfish, courting older snackers, turns to TikTok and turns up the heat

Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, check us out on Spotify and hear us on Stitcher. This is our RSS feed. Tell a friend! As it turns out, cheesy, fish-shaped crackers aren't just for kids—and neither is TikTok. So says Goldfish, which is using the youth-focused app to increase its outreach to adults. "Nearly 50% of Goldfish consumption happens with adults, and they’re enjoying them by the handful,” says Janda Lukin, chief marketing officer for Campbell Snacks, a $4 billion unit of Campbell Soup Co. “We really hadn’t talked to adult consumers.” On the latest edition of the "Marketer's Brief" podcast, Lukin describes how the brand turned to TikTok to win over teens and older snackers who are spending time on the app, with a campaign that featured National Basketball Association stars. She also elaborates how the brand is courting fans looking for spicier snacks with a limited-edition Frank’s RedHot variety, and plans for more flavors and innovation to follow. For it the TikTok campaign, the brand looked for someone who could hold a massive amount of Goldfish. It teamed with Boban Marjanović, a center on the Dallas Mavericks, who can fit 301 of the crackers in a single palm. “When we talked about reaching an older audience and this challenge idea, TikTok was the perfect platform for this challenge and this activation,” Lukin says. Goldfish’s #GoForTheHandful challenge centered on Marjanović and garnered more than 9 billion views on TikTok in a matter of weeks. Marjanović’s video has more than 31 million views, and people were able to use the app’s duet feature to show themselves next to Marjanović attempting the challenge. Goldfish didn’t rely solely on TikTok. he brand plugged the challenge across media including TV and digital ads. Marjanović’s friend and Philadelphia 76ers player Tobias Harris is also featured in the campaign. The campaign came together in three to four weeks, says Lukin. Agencies on the project included Publicis Groupe’s Saatchi & Saatchi on creative, Spark Foundry on media and MSL on PR. After the campaign launched, Tacko Fall, a center on the Boston Celtics, also did the #GoForTheHandful challenge on TikTok, snagging more than 2.5 million views. @elhadjifall99 ##duet with @goldfishsmiles Me and Boban are about to cause a Goldfish shortage. @goldfishsmiles ##GoForTheHandful ##ad ##contest ♬ Go For the Handful - goldfishsmiles Fall fails to hit 301. Lukin says she can hold 55 Goldfish, which just happens to be the serving size. The brand plans to pick the 25 best videos, and those people will receive an oversized “Boban” bag of Goldfish. One person will be featured as the snack’s spokeshand and will get a year’s supply. And after hearing from fans on social media who wanted a hotter, spicier version, Goldfish this week announced a limited-edition Frank’s RedHot flavor. They’ll be sold starting in May. First, the brand is heading back to social media. This time, it is turning to Instagram, offering an augmented reality filter to transform a traditional bag into the RedHot package, giving fans a chance to get an early sample. More varieties and partnerships will follow, says Lukin. The brand’s top-seller is still original cheddar, but it has expanded its lineup with colors, pretzel and other varieties. The flavor-blasted version grew at a double-digit rate during the pandemic as consumers were looking for more flavorful snacks, says Lukin.

Goldfish, courting older snackers, turns to TikTok and turns up the heat

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