Wild Planet Rides the Wave of Tinned Fish Mania
Influencer led campaigns appeal to a whole new generation of fish foodies.
The Wave and the Crave
In 2001, when Bill Carvalho started his canned seafood company, Wild Planet Foods, Gen-Zers were only toddlers. At the time, they had no real knowledge of food, let alone tinned fish, food trends, and sustainable fishing practices. I’m also pretty sure that both Bill and the toddlers were clueless about the significant role social media would play in their future. It would be nine years before Instagram was created and another eleven before TikTok captured Gen Z’s collective attention. In particular, no one could have foreseen the compilation of events that would reinvigorate the tinned seafood industry Bill had been in for over twenty years. There were ups and downs of course but overall the category had seen slow and steady growth over the years. That was until the pandemic, TikTok, and highly influenced Gen-Zers initiated a spike in sales.
Suddenly, tinned fish was hot again, especially among younger audiences. New players and repackaged old players like Fishwife, Siesta, Ortiz, and Nuri were entering (and re-entering) the arena providing Instagrammable moments that Gen Z craved. TikTok was especially instrumental in the growth with followers flocking to influencers at the top of the trend.
The Campaign
For Bill, a middle-aged white guy, it was imperative that Wild Planet initiate a campaign that would speak to this new and diverse generation of foodies who couldn’t seem to get enough tinned fish. The company’s philosophy on sustainability and responsible fishing appealed to Gen Z’s values but the brand was hardly on their radar having only entered the TikTok scene in 2021. To date, they have less than a thousand followers on the platform so it was essential to team up with influencers who spoke directly to that audience. In 2022, the brand featured a noticeably younger spokesperson in their videos and began partnering with popular tinned fish enthusiasts like Ali Hooke who popularized #tinfishdatenight.
Earlier this year, the company partnered with Mei (@daywithmei) a rising TikTok and Instagram food influencer whose popularity and following soared after creating a series called “Tinned Fish Talk”. The campaign included two TikTok videos one month apart that would also be shared on the company’s Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube channels. The first video, a direct product review and recipe demo, was scripted to encourage newbies to try a “gateway” fish. It also included all of the sustainability talking points that the brand is known for. Mei’s second video instructed her audience on how to create a “fish board” appealing to the trend of charcuterie styled tinned fish known as #seacuterie.
Even with the perfect influencer partnership though, it can still be hard to gauge the success of social media/content driven campaigns. However, the ultimate benefit to Wild Planet is their exposure to Mei’s (approaching) 120 thousand followers. Additional advantages include the unknown number of views the videos have received and the 74 thousand likes they’ve garnered. But most important of all is the direct feedback they get from the comment sections. That direct connection to their target audience is invaluable. Luckily, Mei is extremely engaging with her followers so comments are plentiful but statements like, “loved finding your page right after discovering how delicious tin fish is! Making a board like this asap” and “Congratulations! Time to check out the sponsor!” are exactly what brands want to hear.
