Heroic Taste, Heroic Mission, Say hello to Hero Jerky.
About 25 years ago, I worked with Ron Mills at GoodMark Foods. GoodMark owned the Slim Jim brand, and Ron was one of the company’s sales leaders. He was always an upbeat, positive, intelligent colleague who understood marketing. Ron’s superpowers were his work ethic and strong leadership capabilities.
In the day, Ron embraced the wild and crazy stuff we did with Macho Man, The X Games, Nascar, and the WWE to build the Slim Jim brand through expanding our distribution.
Ron has sold more than one billion dollars of meat snacks from Slim Jims, Pemmican, Duke’s, and Country Archer. He has always been on fire, igniting teams and growing brands.
About two years ago, Ron reached out to me and asked if I was interested in working with him and Evolution Revolution on a new beef jerky brand, HERO; I jumped at the opportunity to partner with him.
And I’m so glad I said yes.
Heroic Aspirations
He explained that Golden Valley Natural, which owned Hero Jerky, was based in Idaho and ambitious about growing the company. With a 55-year history in meat snack operations, the Ball family has a “give back” approach to everything they do – from their employees, vendors, and community.
The Golden Valley team is an expert in operations and manufacturing meat snack products. According to Ron, they made superior beef jerky and meat sticks and are poised to create a powerful brand.
Over the past decade, the meat snack category has experienced remarkable growth, driven by changing consumer preferences and lifestyles. The category is $5B, growing at about a 10% CAGR.
As people increasingly seek convenient, portable protein-rich snacks to fuel their busy lives, meat snacks have emerged as a popular choice. The market has witnessed a proliferation of innovative products, ranging from traditional jerky to gourmet meat sticks, catering to diverse tastes and dietary preferences.
One of the key drivers of this growth has been the emphasis on health and wellness.
With a growing awareness of the importance of protein intake for muscle recovery and satiety, consumers are turning to meat snacks as a nutritious alternative to sugary or carb-heavy snacks. The rise of low-carb and high-protein diets, such as keto and paleo, has further fueled demand for meat-based snacks.
Moreover, the convenience factor cannot be overstated.
Marketing The Hero
After assembling an RFP to find a great agency partner, we determined that DX Agency, a NJ/Miami firm, was ideally suited to work with us. They had a terrific reputation for research, competitive analysis, package design, and digital advertising. Hat tip to Ashely and her creative team from DX on the remarkable repackaging effort.
In my creative brief, I emphasized the critical strategic role that the brand name – HERO- could play in creating a narrative that takes HERO JERKY to a new level. We needed to focus on one hero category to create an authentic narrative that didn’t get diluted.
The DX team identified multiple options for hero non-profits to consider. We have lots of American heroes to consider, from vets, police, EMT workers, and other categories, but our team kept coming back to the firefighting community.
I insisted that we pick one focus – at least for the first few years.
We know that the product delivered the portable protein hit that firefighters needed to do their work, but beyond that, firefighters represent a group that everyone rallies around and supports. This community tends to be less political than other heroes, and we believed that in honoring them, they could be the core story we talked about in growing distributions.
National Fallen Firefighter Foundation
We contacted several non-profits whose stories we could tell through our marketing efforts. The team found many worthy causes. We are focusing our commitment on one group – the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation or the NFFF.
The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) originated from the tragic events of the 1976 Friars Club fire in New York City, which claimed the lives of six firefighters. In response, the firefighting community rallied together to support the families of the fallen.
This collective effort laid the foundation for the NFFF, officially established in 1992 as a non-profit organization. The NFFF’s mission is to honor and remember firefighters who have died in the line of duty and to support their families, coworkers, and communities. Through various programs and initiatives, the NFFF continues to honor the sacrifices of these brave individuals.
One of NFFF’s important fundraising events is the Memorial Stair Climb, which honors the 343 fallen firefighting heroes who entered the World Trade Towers on September eleven. Hero Jerky will attend their Indianapolis event on April 19th.
Busy lifestyles and on-the-go consumption habits have propelled the popularity of portable, shelf-stable meat snacks, making them a staple in gym bags, office drawers, and backpacks worldwide. With ongoing innovation and increasing demand, the meat snack category is poised for continued growth in the years to come.
Flavor as the Hero
The brand is focused on marketing our heroic taste AND heroic mission. Our heroic taste focus comes from working with creative influencers like Fanny Slater, my daughter who won Rachael Ray’s Cookbook Competition, and, is often seen on Food Network and The Cooking Channel. Fanny along with several other influencers, are creating fun videos and social media posts to promote the unusual flavors and taste of Hero Jerky.
Three Marketing Lessons from Hero Jerky
- FOCUS FACTOR. Brands that try and do too much often dilute their efforts. Their marketing lacks a critical focal point. With Hero Jerky, we are building momentum in the marketplace, and instead of supporting everyone, we are concentrating on helping the firefighting community. When we call on retailers, we have an important narrative about giving back to the fire fighting community.
- TAGLINES MATTER: Our rallying cry is HEROIC TASTE, HEROIC MISSION. We exemplify heroic taste by creating unusual flavors not often found at retail, like Bold Black Cherry, Honey Habanero, and Jalapeno Lime. Our heroic mission is focused on our support of NFFF and the firefighting community. Our language is distinctive, just like our packaging.
- MARKETING INVESTMENT: Hero Jerky’s parent company, Golden Valley Natural, decided that to grow the brand substantially, they needed to make a meaningful investment in marketing the brand to raise awareness, increase revenue, and create a powerfully distinctive and differentiated message. To build a brand, you need to invest in the brand. Golden Valley is committed to a long-term strategy for success. And you need an experienced partner – which we found with the DX team.
Fortunately, I got a second act in the meat snack category, partnering with Ron, Golden Valley, the NFFF organization, and the DX team. Together, we are building a lasting brand, supporting a remarkable community, and lighting a fire in the meat snack category.
If you want to support Hero Jerky’s mission, you can visit our website to buy our product or go to The National Fallen Firefighter Foundation website to learn more or donate to their important mission.
Go ahead, be a hero.
Connect with Jeff at The Marketing Sage Consultancy. Interested in setting up a call with me? Use my calendly to schedule a time to talk. The call is free, and we can discuss your brand and marketing needs. If you want to learn more about my new offering, The Trusted Advisor Board, you can click here to learn the details. Feel free to email me at jeffslater@themarketing sage.com or text 919 720 0995. Thanks for your interest in working with The Marketing Sage Consultancy.
