Video viral of the week: John West interactive YouTube video tells ‘story in a can’

Nov 8, 2012 | CPG, FMCG digital marketing food and beverages

This interactive YouTube video forms part of John West’s latest £6m marketing efforts to showcase its ethical fishing practices. The ‘story in a can’ campaign invites UK consumers to track exactly where their canned fish comes from. See why it’s our video viral of the week below… Created by CheethamBell JWT, the ‘story in a […]

This interactive YouTube video forms part of John West’s latest £6m marketing efforts to showcase its ethical fishing practices. The ‘story in a can’ campaign invites UK consumers to track exactly where their canned fish comes from. See why it’s our video viral of the week below…


Created by CheethamBell JWT, the ‘story in a can’ creative features a weathered fisherman aboard a trawler, holding up a can of tuna and telling a story about the fishing trip during which the tuna was caught.
To coincide with John West’s ‘Discover the story behind every can’ campaign airing on TV and radio CheethamBellJWT, Manchester launched an interactive YouTube channel that let people discover more.
Using ‘Old Sam’, the brand’s spokesman, the viewer is invited the world to explore the many contents of his cabin.
Viewers can click on up to 30 different objects (including Old Sam’s crotch) to hear the bizarre story behind it.
Other items included a Pinata, a stuffed fish, an accordion and a secret cupboard. At the bottom of the channel a banner linked back to the John West website to encourage viewers to discover the story behind their own can.
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Old Sam invites viewers to discover the story behind cans of John West tuna by inputting the codes on the top of cans into the John West website to discover where the tuna was caught, and the name of the boat it was caught on.
The initiative will be rolled out to other species, including salmon and mackerel, over the next 12 months.
The 360 degree campaign includes TV, digital and BTL marketing activity which includes PR.
Asanka De Silva, marketing controller at John West, said: “John West prides itself on its fishing heritage and expertise and we wanted to highlight this in our TV campaign. We’re the only UK canned fish company to have its own fishermen and fleet of boats, which allows us unrivalled control over the quality of our fish.
“Our extensive research has confirmed that the ‘Story in Every Can’ campaign will resonate enormously with consumers who are increasingly interested in food quality and provenance. This creative, alongside our new branding, new range hierarchy, in-store marketing and PR campaign will drive value back into the category.”
Media has been handled by Carat Manchester.
http://www.youtube.com/user/johnwestuk

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