How Stuart Heflin grew Quest Nutrition’s sales with a campaign about cheating

Cheating is usually seen as a vice, especially among fitness and healthy lifestyle communities. But Quest Nutrition put a positive spin on cheating with a campaign that suggests its protein-packed snack bars, chips, candy and other foods can provide a health boost while also tasting good. The “It’s Basically Cheating” campaign from BBH U.S. stars comedian Kumail Nanjiani, showing him in the middle of incredible physical stunts—lifting heavy weights, kayaking super fast and performing a gravity-defying axel jump while ice skating. The ad reveals him using aides such as a weight-lifting machine and a drone to assist in these pursuits. Nanjiani is a fan of the brand after having to get in shape for Marvel’s “Eternals.” See Ad Age’s 2024 Breakout Brand Leaders and Work here “It took a lot of courage to talk about cheating,” said Stuart Heflin, Quest’s senior VP and general manager. “It needed to be clearly absurd humor to make sure viewers knew we weren’t promoting anything nefarious. But we wanted to show that Quest can be a hack and get away from the idea that you can’t eat food that tastes good, that also doesn’t take away from your personal quest.” The campaign saw a nearly 100% video completion rate, and Quest’s sales growth went from 11% to 14% within the first eight weeks of the campaign’s launch, according to the brand. Also read: Comedy in advertising and why absurdist humor is in Quest’s tone is different from that of other nutrition brands that might focus on “gym bros” or extreme athletes. But Heflin says Quest has been more focused on being a brand for everyone, including women and working professionals who might need high-protein snacks on the go. “When the world zigs, we zag,” Heflin said. “The ‘zig’ is that, to be successful, you need to work out rigidly and eat certain things. But our ‘zag’ is that the road to success can be paved with nacho cheese chips and chocolate chunks. We are the cheat so that consumers don’t have to give up brownies, cookies, chips or beverages.” This year, Quest also expanded into iced coffee, brownies and muffins. Heflin is also a steward of Quest’s grant program, “Quest for Impact,” which funds organizations that use health and fitness to serve local communities. Last year, Quest awarded $80,000 in grants, including to 5-Eleven Hoops, which runs basketball clinics for kids on the autism spectrum. See Ad Age’s 2024 Breakout Brand Leaders and Work here Which entrepreneur do you admire the most and why? Rich Paul. He started Klutch Sports Group and is revolutionizing sports talent management. He was a longtime friend of LeBron James and became part of LeBron’s inner circle and studied under his then-agent. Rich eventually gained enough experience to strike out on his own and has repped a lot of NBA and NFL players. He has been the ethos of empowering players and putting the leverage back in their hands. He is a Black kid from Ohio like me who came from humble beginnings—he was selling throwback jerseys out of his car and is now running the sports management world. What’s currently on your bedside reading list? A lot of kids’ books—I have a 5-year-old and a 3-year-old. I am big on keeping up with news and current events, so I read The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic. I am more of a nonfiction guy when it comes to books. My favorite author is Yuval Noah Harari. He wrote “Sapiens” and “21 Lessons for the 21st Century.” I like his focus on anthropology. What is the best career advice you’ve gotten? If you are trying to get promoted, do the job you want to do before you get promoted. That is the tack I have taken in my career. Don’t ask for permission, just go do it. Name one brand, other than the one you work for, that you admire. I think Apple is one master class in building a brand. The brand is much more than computers and phones and RAM. It’s a statement about identity and who you are—and to build that association from a brand perspective is a testament to how well they have built it over time. It permeates society. What is your secret weapon for business success? It is a secret, and not. It’s simple—I will not be outworked. I am addicted to the grind and I grind consistently, year in and year out.

How Stuart Heflin grew Quest Nutrition’s sales with a campaign about cheating

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