Chomps makes delicious grass-fed beef sticks that are winning snack-brand wars by a meaty mile. In this live episode, Semiserious pitches brand strategies that make protein snacks impossible to ignore: from athlete-ambassador angles to full personality reinventions, because ‘Snapping into a Slim Jim’ is so 1995.
Instead, we’re chomping into a healthier meat stick with @Chomps. And this episode of ‘Can They Brand That?®‘ has everything: professional meat-thletes, a Katniss Everdeen campaign, chompspirational quotes, billiards for some reason, and a lot of Randy Savage (RIP).
As the saying goes, get sticked! Hosted by: Allie LeFevere and Lyndsay Rush Sanders
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro, Show Rundown, Chomps Brand Audit, and Beef Jerky Banter
01:38 The Brainstorm Begins!
02:35 Pitching Chomps: Brand Refresh Ideas & Our Best and Wildest Campaign, Stunt, and Activation Concepts
16:05 Mascot O’Clock [Funny Mascot Ideation]
19:31 Hired or Fired [Should Chomps Hire Us? Best Ideas in Review]
Key Branding Ideas from This Episode:
- Building brand loyalty through playful identity cues transforms simple product positioning into everyday rituals.
- Iconography and branding elements, like mascot design or packaging, should evoke a sense of personal ownership and fun, making the product an extension of the consumer’s identity.
- The power of absurdity and hyperbole in branding creates memorable mental anchors that cut through clutter.
- Exaggerating product qualities or context amplifies its cultural relevance via humor and shock.
- Counterintuitive to conventional branding, this hyperbolic approach makes products stand out because they challenge expectations, making them more shareable and sticky in consumers’ minds.
- Reclaiming controversial or common phrases as positive branding mantras turns perceived negatives into strengths.
- Turning negative idioms into badges of honor or rallying slogans reframes perceived weaknesses as symbols of strength or energy.
- This positive mental shift reduces stigma while creating community-centric, shareable messages that challenge consumer perceptions.
- The fusion of humor and absurdity with cultural trends enables brands to create viral moments that resonate across demographics.
- By combining meme formats, silly wordplay, and cultural icons, brand messaging becomes inherently more relatable and humorous.
- The launch of absurd campaigns can generate organic buzz far beyond traditional advertising’s scope.
- The strategic use of parody and irony can subvert traditional branding rules, creating a zone of playful rebellion that builds community.
- The creation of mascots and characters that embody exaggerated traits or humorous personas amplifies emotional engagement.
- Mascots humanize the brand with playful, memorable characters that tell a story.
- Unsurprisingly, people connect emotionally with characters, which enhances brand recall and encourages shared stories or content creation.
Semiserious is a female-founded humor branding agency for CPG brands. Their sweet spot is working with founder-led or venture-backed DTC startups to build brands using comedy as a core strategy to help brands stand out in a crowded market. Their roster includes industry darlings like Clif Bar, Native, Blue Bunny, Waterboy, Pie, Argent, JOI, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, Yogi Tea, Choice Organics, GEN Z, The University of Chicago, Alleyoop, Better Than Booze, Backwoods, Bad Rabbit, U Suck at Golf, Hobbyist, and the Dallas Cowboys, but they would never brag about it in their bio. This funny branding agency has offices in Chicago and Nashville, but works with clients globally.
Say hi or snoop around:
🔔 Subscribe for weekly branding brainstorms → https://www.youtube.com/@semiseriousagency
📺 Watch the full Can They Brand That?® show series → https://bit.ly/can-they-brand-that-playlist
🌐 Work with Semiserious: https://semiseriousagency.com/
ICYMI, this show exists 1) to champion originality and creativity in a sea of AI slop, 2) to show potential clients the power and value of fun as a consumer-converting strategy, and 3) to bring some much-needed levity into the world where we can.
#ChompsBranding #CanTheyBrandThat #HumorBranding #BrandStrategy #FunnyMarketing
