With Lent on the horizon, Gorton’s Seafood is bringing back its male mermaids—or “mer-bros”—as it rides a wave of momentum in the revitalized frozen-food category.
The brand debuted the mer-bros last year as part of new cast of characters in a move to update its look, which had long been defined by its yellow-raincoat-wearing fisherman character, who debuted in 1975.
The fisherman “is kind of iconic to the brand and well recognized,” says Chris Hussey, VP of marketing at Gorton’s Seafood. Still, the brand wants to attract younger buyers and knows plenty of people didn’t grow up hearing the “Trust the Gorton’s fisherman” jingle. It sought a creative approach that brought life to the character in a way “that is appealing to millennials and emerging families in particular,” she says.
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