Key insights:
- A compelling story cuts through the noise more than product claims ever will.
- Rethinking your target audience can reveal massive untapped potential.
- A sharp, focused message can outperform even a big-budget campaign.
In the world of snacks marketing, ‘playing it safe’ is often disguised as best practice. Lean into your macros. Push the protein count. Target the same loud, male-coded demographic.
But Charlie Kuoni, senior brand manager at Yumbo meat snack parent company Carl Buddig & Co has a different mantra for launching a brand in today’s overcrowded aisles: break the rules on purpose. Founded in 1943, Carl Buddig & Co is a fourth-generation, family-owned company behind Buddig deli meats, Old Wisconsin snacks and Kingsford barbecue.
His team’s launch of Yumbo – a bold, jumbo-sized meat stick brand – doesn’t just challenge category conventions but gleefully body-slams them. The campaign, titled ‘Meat for Real Meatheads’, introduces consumers to Mindy, an unlikely female ‘meathead’ whose lifelong craving for meat once led her to nearly burn down an office. In a hilarious mockumentary-style ad, Mindy becomes the face of a snack that refuses to conform to tired stereotypes.
Created by Havas Chicago and directed by Brandt Lewis of Sanctuary, the campaign is running across digital, social and streaming platforms until October. It’s Yumbo’s debut act and one hell of a way to crash the $3bn meat stick party.
For Kuoni, this campaign isn’t just about humour or shock value. It’s a calculated rebellion – a masterclass in knowing exactly which industry rules to ignore and why doing so can unlock growth.
“If we played in the same sandbox as our competitors when it came to audience and tone, this concept would have looked, sounded and felt completely different (and would have been far less effective in our opinion).”
Rethink the ‘target audience’ rule
First up: who said meat snacks were only for sweaty gym bros?
“Ultimately, we knew in this space we had to take a big swing,” says Kuoni. “We know when you think of advertising in this category, the way consumers are spoken to, is frankly a bit unsophisticated. So, we gave our intended audience some credit: they would get ‘it’ if it was clever enough. There’s a difference between unexpected and insulting and we think we’ve struck the right chord.”
That swing landed in the form of Mindy – a woman whose meat obsession started in the crib and never let up. A character who proudly calls herself a meathead and makes you laugh while doing it.
“When we made Mindy our lead meathead, we weren’t thinking about how to check an inclusivity box. We were excited by what the research and insights told us; there’s a massively under-served audience entering our category every day. When we say Yumbo is for real meatheads, we mean anyone and everyone who listens to what their body really wants, a delicious and high protein snack.”
To brands still playing it safe? Kuoni advises to “recognise just how limiting the ‘norms’ are to your growth. There are so many people who could love what you offer – they just haven’t been invited in yet.”
Ditch the ‘benefits-only’ rule
The temptation in snacks marketing is to default to function: grams of protein; sugar content; low carb; high fuel. Kuoni and his team decided to skip that script.
“Storytelling matters because 74% of brands could disappear tomorrow and no one would care, according to the 2024 Havas Meaningful Brands Global Report,” he explains. “First, because most products are replaceable in the mind of the average person. But also because product benefits alone rarely stand out.
“At the end of the day, we can talk about grams of protein for only so long. If all you do is shout benefits, you blend in. But how you tell the story of those benefits is what stands out. Your story signals what your brand stands for and who it’s for. Sure, we want people to know what the product does, but it’s what the brand stands for that makes people notice and care.”
And it worked. Because Meat for Real Meatheads isn’t just a message – it’s an attitude that works: whether you’re watching Hulu, scrolling TikTok or standing in front of the cooler at 7-Eleven.
“It sounds cliché but keep the message clear,” says Huoni. “Throughout the production process, we challenged ourselves to remain focused on one, singular message: we’re meat for real meatheads. Because we held firm to that, it’s easy to see how an idea like Meat for Real Meatheads could scale up or down in size.”
Ignore the ‘tone it down’ rule
There’s always a risk when you tell your agency to go big. However, Yumbo didn’t flinch - it cannonballed.
“Our agency took it to heart when we told them to push it. There was one that really questioned what it would look like if someone would give up everything, but their Yumbo. They were too real of a meathead.”
Even the weirdest ideas stayed close to the brief – and close to the customer.
“There’s a difference between unexpected and insulting and we think we’ve struck the right chord.”
Break the budget myth
Yumbo may have had agency backing and ad spend, but Kuoni’s advice to smaller snack startups? Don’t let budget be the excuse.
“Smaller brands don’t need a massive budget. They just need a sharp message and the courage to stick to it,” he says. “It sounds cliché, but keep the message clear...
“Because we held firm to that, it’s easy to see how an idea like Meat for Real Meatheads could scale up or down in size.”
In other words, if your idea only works with a six-figure shoot, it’s probably not sharp enough.
Burn the rulebook
If there’s one takeaway Kuoni hopes other challenger brands absorb, it’s “think less about where the market/consumer currently is and more about where they will be in the future.
“If we played in the same sandbox as our competitors when it came to audience and tone, this concept would have looked, sounded and felt completely different - and would have been far less effective in our opinion.
“Break the rule that says you need to look like your competitors. Break the rule that says benefits are enough. Break the rule that says weird doesn’t sell.”
Because when 74% of brands could vanish tomorrow and no one would care, the only rule worth following is stand for something – and stand out doing it.
Off the cuff, still on brand
Asked what Yumbo’s dating profile might say, Kuoni didn’t miss a beat. It wasn’t part of the campaign, but it shows just how crisply the tone comes through – even unscripted.
Bio: I’m like a meat lover’s pizza … without the pizza.
Who would swipe right: Anyone who cares about what they eat but isn’t willing to sacrifice the joy of a delicious snack.
Yumbo is now available online and on Amazon, and in store across the US, including Meijer, Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh, Circle K and 7-Eleven.