In this episode of The Future of Consumer Marketing, host Brett Stapper interviews Andrew Thomas, VP of Marketing at Archer Meat Snacks. Andrew shares how Archer Meat Snacks, the fifth largest meat snack brand in the nation, is disrupting the category dominated by legacy players like Jack Link’s and Slim Jim. Through bold rebranding, strategic color psychology, and a deep understanding of consumer segmentation, Archer Meat Snacks is driving category growth alongside Chomps as the only two brands capturing the “better-for-you” consumer trend. Andrew reveals the tactical playbook behind their transformation from a commercially-focused business to a brand-driven powerhouse, including their upcoming national advertising campaign designed to punch above their weight class against competitors with significantly larger marketing budgets.

Topics Discussed:

•  Strategic brand positioning in legacy-dominated categories

•  Rebranding methodology from consumer insights to execution

•  Color psychology and visual differentiation in CPG

•  Consumer segmentation strategy for category disruption

•  Marketing team structure and resource allocation for growth-stage brands

•  AI’s impact on creative production and marketing efficiency

•  Risk-taking philosophy in conservative industries

• Agency selection and creative brief development

• The myth of ad campaign wear-out and mental availability

Lessons For Consumer Marketers:

Execute Bold Visual Differentiation Through Strategic Color Selection

When Archer Meat Snacks analyzed the meat snacks category, they discovered a sea of browns, grays, and blacks. Rather than playing it safe, they chose bright orange specifically because no competitor had claimed it. Orange’s long wavelength makes it visually stimulating and stops consumers in their tracks – the same reason it’s used for traffic cones. This tactical color choice, combined with strategic blue and cream accents, created immediate shelf standout in a commoditized category.

Build Consumer Segmentation Before Brand Positioning

Andrew spent over a year running brand diagnostics before the rebrand, commissioning a comprehensive segmentation study that identified four distinct consumer segments within meat snacks. This research revealed not just who was buying meat snacks, but how people snack in general and what unmet needs existed. Only after understanding these consumer segments did they develop brand positioning and brief their design agency, ensuring every creative decision was rooted in consumer insight rather than aesthetic preference.

Treat Agency Briefs as Strategic Documents, Not Creative Requests

Andrew approaches RFPs like the actual creative brief he’d give to his chosen agency – an 8-page document covering brand history, challenges, what’s working, and prescriptive requirements. This philosophy recognizes that agencies are only as good as the brief they receive and the feedback they get. By investing heavily in the brief upfront, he ensures better creative output and more efficient iteration cycles.

Separate Internal Stakeholder Preferences from Target Consumer Needs

One of the biggest challenges in brand evaluation is stakeholders (including executives and board members) viewing creative through their personal consumer lens rather than the target audience perspective. Andrew navigates this by building consumer insight credibility first, then using that foundation to defend creative decisions that may not appeal to internal stakeholders but resonate with the target market.

Leverage Mental Availability Over Campaign Novelty

Drawing from Byron Sharp’s “How Brands Grow,” Andrew challenges the myth that ad campaigns need constant refreshing. Slim Jim’s “Oh Yeah!” campaign ran for decades and remains seared in consumers’ minds because they resisted internal pressure to change what was working. The data shows campaigns can run almost indefinitely – it’s usually internal teams who get tired of seeing the same creative, not consumers.

Structure Lean Teams Around Clear Impact Visibility

Archer Meat Snacks’ marketing team of seven people (including Andrew) manages a business growing at hockey stick rates. The key is ensuring every role has visible impact – from category management and insights to experiential marketing and innovation. Andrew deliberately keeps the team lean to maintain agility and ensure everyone can see how their work directly contributes to business growth, boosting morale and engagement.

Embrace Controlled Risk-Taking in Conservative Industries

Andrew argues that not taking risks is as risky as taking them, especially when timing and opportunity play such large roles in success. In food and beverage, many successful founders don’t repeat their initial success, suggesting luck and timing are bigger factors than most admit. This mindset justifies bold moves like bright orange packaging and edgy advertising campaigns, because being noticed is the biggest risk mitigation strategy.

Use AI for Production Efficiency While Maintaining Creative Differentiation

Archer Meat Snacks uses AI-driven platforms for product photography, eliminating traditional photo shoots and enabling rapid iteration across different settings and contexts. However, Andrew recognizes the risk: if everyone uses the same AI tools trained on category conventions, brands will lose differentiation. The key is using AI for production efficiency while maintaining human creativity for strategic and conceptual work.

Plan Rebranding as Multi-Year Strategic Initiative, Not Creative Project

Archer Meat Snacks’ rebrand wasn’t just a design refresh – it was a two-year strategic initiative starting with brand diagnostics, consumer research, and positioning development. The actual design work with agency Hatch took six months, but it was built on 18 months of foundational work understanding brand health, target consumers, and category dynamics. This approach ensures rebranding drives business results rather than just aesthetic improvement.

Design Distinctive Assets for Cross-Platform Consistency

Rather than just creating new packaging, Andrew briefed his agency to develop a suite of distinctive assets that would work consistently across all touchpoints while avoiding copy-paste repetition. This systems thinking approach ensures brand recognition whether consumers encounter Archer Meat Snacks in-store, online, at trade shows, or in advertising, maximizing the investment in visual identity development.