The first time I met my friend Tom Barbitta, we were arch competitors in the highly competitive meat snack world. Yes, meat snacks can get nasty.

At the time, I was the EVP of Marketing for GoodMark Foods, who owned the Slim Jim brand, and Tom headed up Oberto’s marketing as CMO. We met by accident at a convenience store trade show when Tom came by our booth. I don’t recall the moment in 1994 – but we became fast friends.

Twenty five years later we don’t fight over meat snacks but love to talk marketing.

In January of 2020, before Covid reared its ugly head, Tom became the CMO at Sauer Brands, the Richmond-based company that owns Duke’s Mayonnaise, a Southern icon. They also own The Spice Hunter brand and have a substantial foodservice business too. I remember when Tom interviewed for the position, and he was excited when he said that Duke’s had a lot of the same growth opportunity he saw at Cheerwine and Obertos.

Challengers Love Challenger Brands

When Tom started his new gig, he researched the history of Duke’s and he realized it was another brand with a rich back story. Eugenia Duke created it in 1917. That’s the same year that Cheerwine started – a local, regional soft drink brand that both Tom and I worked for during our careers.

Eugenia Duke was a forward-thinking woman making sandwiches for people going to war after the turn of the 20th century. Her customers loved the sandwiches but went Gaga for the mayo. This little enterprise began in Maudlin, South Carolina, not too far from Greenville. Eugenia was so far ahead of the pack she even had an all-female sales team – in the 1920s! Soon, Duke’s Mayo was born.

Tom Barbitta, Brand Liberator

Tom has always had a strong penchant for liberating regional brands. He did it many times in his career. At Oberto, he helped take a Pacific Northwest brand to national distribution aligning with an arm of Frito Lay. Tom helped Cheerwine reposition as the Legend from the South. Born in the South, raised in a glass. It, too, gain broader distribution, this time through Pepsi’s network.

Even in his earlier days at Nabisco, Tom took on Planters Nut business running the franchise as he brought a passion for new products. He challenged the old Planter’s business that couldn’t think outside the jar or can of nuts.

Tom recently shared with me that Planter’s had skipped a generation and younger people weren’t eating nuts of a can, so Tom had to innovate through packaging in stand-up bags – bottom pouches.

He brought new flavors like Caribbean Crunch, PB Crunch, and other products to a new generation. He was leading the challenger charge – fighting the old school approach to marketing.

Make Mayo Cool Again

Duke’s brand fits the criteria of a challenger brand, but Tom wanted to figure out how to make mayonnaise cool.

Most people don’t realize mayo is a ginormous category. It is the largest condiment segment bigger than ketchup and mustard.

Think of all those occasions where you add mayo to coleslaw potato salad dips, etc. Rubs, marinades and hot sauce and even ketchup and mustard have some mojo – but mayo? It’s that bland afterthought – the plain jane of family picnics. Mayonnaise is not that exciting – the white stuff you don’t think about it in the fridge. The challenge for Tom – find Duke’s inner southern hipster.

Competition is Stiff – Harness the Challenge

There is Kraft Mayonnaise, Miracle Whip, Hellman’s, and Heinz. Duke faces some enormous competition from significantly larger food companies.

But Tom always believed there was an opportunity for ignition and growth through the Duke’s brand’s southern personality. The challenge was how to unlock it.

According to Tom,

“If you look at the history of humanity, change never comes from the majority always comes from the little guys. The big guy doesn’t want to challenge the status quo; they want to pour cement to keep it in place. There is a through-line in the American DNA as a culture – people want to root for the little guy. Americans are optimistic types -they stand up for the little guy.” Tom Barbitta

Liberate the Duke’s Brand

Tom knew that in repositioning the brand, he would need to be bold to get noticed. Sauer can’t outspend the big boys, but they can be scrappy and creative.

The Brand Whisperer, Kate Newlin, did some of the archetype work on Duke’s. Tom and Kate had partnered before on brands needing a reinvigoration.

A few years ago, they worked together when Stop Hunger Now, a hunger-relief charity, transformed into Rise Against Hunger. Kate is known for her work on passion brands and as the author of Shopportunity and worked with Faith Popcorn at BrainReserve.

Led by Tom, Sauer’s Brands conducted a comprehensive search for a fantastic agency to help spread the love. He met lots of great agencies in search of marketing magicians who understood what it means to liberate a brand and lead a movement.

After a few rounds, Tom felt sandwiched between a few agencies but hadn’t found exactly what was needed.

When we chatted, he asked who else I thought he should consider, and I told him that I thought The Richards Group could be a partner worth talking with for several reasons.

Their work on Chick Fil A is legendary, and I knew first-hand of their relationship with Pergo through my friend Lars von Kantzow.

I got to work with them briefly through my time in the wine industry at Nomacorc when they did some trade advertising, brand work and managed our public relations effort.

What intrigued Tom was that The Richards Group was a challenger agency – even though they are the largest privately-held agency.

Stan Richards, their founder, holds sacred their independence. And Tom felt that they would bring a visceral understanding to being a challenger. Challengers’ brands run in The Richards Group’s veins.

While Tom was searching for an agency, he was also looking to unlock Duke’s connection with football, tailgating, and the cultural touchpoints from Southern living. When Bob Porcaro, President of GRP Media brought Tom an idea for a bowl sponsorship – the Duke’s Mayo Bowl was born.

Duke’s is now the sponsor of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl and the Duke’s Mayo Classic. SEC and ACC Football, food and tailgating are religions in the South. Suddenly Tom’s strategy was coming together with his geographic footprint.

A Movement Needs Their Own Anthem

According to Tom, “I don’t want to advertise to people but with people. We want to enable conversation. Dialogues. If we can bring a little bit of tension to our communications, we can get noticed”

The Richard’s Group brought Tom a tagline – Duke’s. It’s Got Twang! Tom immediately knew that he had an anthem to fly the flag to lead his brand’s charge. That tagline gave voice to a path to brand liberation. And although Eugenia Duke might not recognize the colloquial phrase, she’d be locking arms with Tom and leading the charge flanked by her mayo brigade.

Watch the ad at this link.

The new ads will run on the Food Network and various shows on Hulu, Pandora and during SEC and ACC games. There will be some digital work too and possibly a few other ads under the Twang theme.

As these ads break, the one thing that Tom is confident of is that the word about Duke’s mayo will spread.

And that word is TWANG.

Need help with local marketing strategies for a challenger brand?

I can help. You can set up a time chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Our initial conversation is free. You talk, I listen. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com or call me. 919 720 0995. Visit my website at www.themarketingsage.com. Let’s explore working together today.