RED SALMON | Bear | 2001
The Man Who Boosted Sales 90% by Kicking a Bear in the Groin / John West Red Salmon "Bear"
In footage styled like a nature documentary, a fisherman kicks a grizzly bear right in the groin. That's the whole premise—and somehow it drove a 90% jump in sales.
The problem
John West is a British canned fish brand owned by Heinz. It had always marketed itself on having "the best fish," but the advertising behind that claim wasn't especially polished. Leo Burnett ended up handling the account after winning Heinz's global business.
The insight
The starting point was the idea that it would land better to actually tell the story of what fishermen go through to catch the best fish, rather than just claim it. The target audience was middle-aged women, yet the proposal was a fisherman kicking a bear in the groin. The fact that the client actually approved it takes real nerve.
The idea
A fisherman charges screaming into a pack of grizzly bears fishing for salmon in a river. He grapples with one bear like they're in a kung fu match, finally winning back the salmon with a devastating blow to the groin. The bear was played entirely by a single stuntman in an animatronic bear suit built by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. The director was Daniel Kleinman.
What happened
When it launched in November 2000, it spread across the internet almost instantly and came to be called the first TV commercial to go viral. It swept nearly every major award, including the Grand Prix at the British Television Advertising Awards, a D&AD Silver, and a Gold Lion at Cannes Lions.
Afterthought
What's wild is that this became the most downloaded and most forwarded commercial of 2001—back when YouTube didn't even exist yet. The nerve it took to greenlight an idea this bonkers, on the spot, with just one pitch, is something I'd bet everything on.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 2001
