The tuna category has been in decline for more than 36 years, largely due to low adoption among Millennials. Instead of trying to change their habits, we leaned into them. Specifically, their love of Snack Meals. We declared Bumble Bee the World’s Best Snack Meal and launched a brand platform that redefined how tuna could fit into modern eating. Early momentum was promising – but to build greater relevance, we let the people do the talking. Enter: the Bumble Bee Tuna CANS Film Fest, a national stage inviting tuna stans, fans, and even skeptics to tell their own Bumble Bee Tuna Snack Meal story via cinematic short film, for a chance to win $25,000.
To ensure the success of the CANS Film Fest, we built a multi-touchpoint approach to the campaign: brand, influencer, and community.
BRAND: We kicked things off with an announcement video featuring rising film critic / director Reece Feldman, who also served as a judge. His involvement generated early credibility and excitement while also laying out the submission details. We then promoted the film fest through a pulse of simple, compelling social content, including submissions as they rolled in, and encouraged voting once entries closed. We supported this with a robust boosting plan that layered unique interest targeting to reach both filmmakers and tuna stans.
INFLUENCER: To ensure our partnerships were purposeful, we focused on the communities that would care most: filmmakers and recipe creators. We activated a mix of influencers across tiers to maximize reach and engagement, with Feldman doubling as ambassador and judge to further legitimize the activation.
COMMUNITY: To reach the most passionate storytellers, we executed an aggressive community management strategy, proactively connecting with artists, filmmakers, tuna lovers, and film schools nationwide.
The campaign was a resounding success.
