Over the past couple decades, canned tuna has gone from household staple to pantry orphan in American households. In fact, per capita tuna consumption has dropped 45.7% since 2000, leaving many in the $40 billion tuna industry asking, “what’s next?”
StarKist partnered with quench in 2013 for its ability to do one thing: build and evolve iconic food and beverage brands. That turned into a 13-year relationship that would revive an industry icon, reinvigorate the StarKist brand, and reshape an industry.
How did we do it?
- A 13-year partnership built on sustained growth. Since partnering with StarKist, quench helped the brand evolve alongside changing consumer behavior, transforming category insights into long-term business growth.
- Reviving an icon. quench brought back the iconic Charlie Tuna after a 10-year hiatus. The revived Charlie was recognized as a top-ten all time advertising icon.
- Leading a category transformation. Together, quench helped StarKist capitalize on the consumer shift toward convenient, on-the-go protein, cementing StarKist’s leadership in the growing tuna pouch category.
- Expanding the category, not just the brand. The partnership helped launch and support innovations that attracted new consumers and generated incremental growth, proving that innovation can strengthen an entire category.
- Integrated marketing that connected every touchpoint. From television and digital to social, PR, and shopper marketing, the work consistently united brand storytelling with business performance.
- Building an iconic brand for the long term. Rather than chasing short-term campaigns, the partnership focused on creating enduring brand equity while delivering measurable commercial results.
The results speak for themselves. quench helped grow StarKist’s leadership in the tuna pouch category to more than 83% dollar share. And, we drove innovation that grew the category, with StarKist Creations sales increasing nearly 160% since 2015 to $168 million.
“What began as a simple trade ad evolved into one of the food industry’s longest-standing integrated marketing partnerships,” said quench CEO Michael Pavone. “Over the past 13 years, quench helped StarKist navigate changing consumer preferences, launch category-defining innovation, strengthen its position as the clear leader in tuna pouches, and build momentum through integrated, insight-driven marketing. Together, we changed the perception of tuna from grandma’s casserole to trend-leading lean protein. And, we had a ton of fun along the way.”
While the time has come for us to swim our different ways, we are, to borrow a certain phrase, not sorry, Charlie about our great run and all we accomplished together.
Farewell, good luck, and not sorry, Charlie.
