Manwich is the household name for sloppy joe sauce…that no one’s saying anymore. In this episode, Semiserious pitches a rebrand and ad campaigns to bring this legacy CPG brand @ConagraBrands back into consumers’ minds and stomachs. So, loose meat sandwich hive, rise up!
In this week’s Can They Brand That?®, we cooked up ideas about meat-cutes, sloppy martinis, man-witches, famous Joes, and cooking competitions. Feast your eyes on our tangy, sloppy, live brainstorm. Hosted by: Allie LeFevere and Lyndsay Rush Sanders
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro, Show Rundown, Manwich Brand Audit, and Sloppy Joe Banter
04:27 The Brainstorm Begins!
04:36 Pitching Manwich: Brand Refresh Ideas & Our Best and Wildest Merch, Stunt, and Activation Concepts, including a Silly, Spooky Halloween Campaign!
23:21 Mascot O’Clock [Funny Mascot Ideation]
27:08 Hired or Fired [Should Manwich (Conagra Brands) Hire Us? Best Ideas in Review]
Key Branding Ideas from This Episode:
- The true power of branding lies in creating playful, provocative concepts that challenge norms and spark curiosity.
- This spirited approach turns routine products into conversation starters, making the brand memorable beyond functional attributes.
- Counterintuitive branding often involves embracing absurdity to cut through clutter and generate brand recognition.
- Silly, over-the-top campaigns stand out in a sea of traditional advertising, fostering genuine engagement and virality.
- The narrative arc of a product or brand can be built through humor, nostalgia, and exaggerated characters that embody the product’s essence.
- Such storytelling creates emotional anchors that translate into brand loyalty and cultural relevance.
- The most effective brand ideas are often rooted in simple, recognizable visuals combined with layered humor and intentional absurdity.
- Incorporating cultural and idiomatic themes such as “grounded” or “legacy” introduces familiar language into brand campaigns, enriching meaning and relatability.
- Recognizable language makes branding feel like a shared conversation, inviting consumers into a larger cultural narrative.
- The blend of exaggerated characters, absurd campaigns, and storytelling can elevate a product from a commodity to a symbol of humor, nostalgia, and community.
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.
#ManwichBranding #CanTheyBrandThat #HumorBranding #BrandStrategy #FunnyMarketing
