Oberto Beef Jerky Swims With Sharks

With real shark attacks happening in North Carolina, Discovery Channel's "Shark Week" beginning July 5, and "Sharknado 3 Oh Hell No!" debuting July 22, these finned creatures are attracting a lot of attention.

Now, Oberto Beef Jerky is attempting to "hook" itself in this shark social conversation by introducing a video across social media. It seeks to answer whether sharks would have an appetite for its protein-rich beef jerky.  

This video was conceived and created by its agency Positivity. Oberto also partnered with Horizon Media to manage the digital plan and buy.

The short video features Oberto’s CEO Tom Hernquist and his "expedition team" throwing a giant piece of jerky in shark-infested waters outside of Cape Town, South Africa. Soon after, one massive shark is shown leaping in the air to inhale the jerky.  

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Also, Oberto is tapping into leading influencers including its own brand ambassador NFL player Richard Sherman to support this Shark Week activation across social networking platforms with the hashtag #JawSomeJerky.com.  

The intent is to entice viewers to share the video to either gawk at the shark's athleticism or to wonder whether it really happened. It does appear to be working. In two days, the video went from a mere 10,000 views to more than 132,722. 

This is the first time Oberto has aligned with "Shark Week," as there is significant buzz around it and the 40th anniversary of "Jaws." It wants to capitalize on these pop-culture phenomena, say agency executives. 

This campaign builds on Oberto's mission to change the traditional perception of beef jerky through mainstream and high-profile events. This spring the brand launched a hero-inspired initiative to showcase four people who embody Oberto's brand mantra, "You Get Out What You Put In."

In March, Oberto teamed with iconic sports personality Dick Vitale for a series of on-and-off air marketing activations to capitalize on March Madness. And the brand is in its second full-year sponsorship as the Official Beef Jerky of Tough Mudder, an action sports brand and competition.

Parent company Oberto Sausage Co. is investing heavily to raise its brand awareness. The privately held company spent $17.2 million on advertising last year, up from a mere $119,000 in 2013, according to Kantar Media.  

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