Duke’s Mayo Begins New Partnership with Familiar Creatures
RICHMOND, VA, April 15, 2021 — Duke’s Mayonnaise has selected Richmond-based Familiar Creatures as its new agency of record, bringing together a 100-year old challenger brand and a newer ad agency startup who specializes in challenger brands.
For over 100 years, Duke’s has been a household name in the Southeast, where the brand is a staple of many restaurants. In its core markets, the brand enjoys near cult-like status in a mayonnaise category that typically doesn’t garner such devotion. Duke’s self-identifies as an underdog, using unconventional and grassroots marketing to build meaningful relationships with its unique fan base.
“Duke’s isn’t your traditional 100-year old brand. And Familiar Creatures isn’t your traditional creative agency,” said Rebecca Lupesco, the Duke’s Brand Manager of Mayohem. “We each consider ourselves challengers in our space, and, more importantly, we share a mutual trust and independent spirit that will allow us to create inspiration for the people who use and love our products.”
Familiar Creatures launched in 2018 with a unique agency model after seeing holding company agencies lose business to in-housing and smaller projects. Their “fractional AOR” approach provides challenger brands like Duke’s the same creative and strategic firepower they’d expect from a larger agency, augmenting internal marketing teams for as long as needed.
“We are thrilled to begin our new relationship with Duke’s,” said Dustin Artz, Co-founder of Familiar Creatures. “Their amazing story and passionate fans would make most packaged goods brands jealous.”
The agency will work with Duke’s to evolve its current campaign, “Duke’s It’s got Twang!,” building brand awareness and converting more followers to the brand. Fans of Duke’s can expect to see more on-the-ground activations in the near future as the brand expands to new markets in an authentic and relatable way, including the promotion of the Duke’s Mayo Classic coming in September.
Familiar Creatures is an advertising agency based in Richmond, VA. Formed in 2018 by industry veterans, the agency’s “fractional AOR” model takes challenger brands to the next level.
Duke’s Mayonnaise Duke’s Mayonnaise was created in 1917 in Greenville, SC by Eugenia Duke. In addition to the flagship mayonnaise, which is still made according to Eugenia’s original recipe, Duke’s offers light, olive oil, and flavored mayonnaises, tartar sauce, sandwich relish and regionally-inspired Duke’s Southern Sauces and dressings.
Duke’s Mayonnaise is owned by Sauer Brands, Inc., which was founded as The C.F. Sauer Company in 1887 in Richmond, Virginia. The company produces a broad line of inspired flavors to excite and delight consumers in the condiments, spices, seasonings and extracts categories. Sauer Brands also produces high-quality private-label products for the retail and foodservice channels. Learn more at sauerbrands.com.
