Gone Rogue, got the Gold! The brand and its high protein chicken chips won the Best New Product Launch category for Chief Marketer’s PRO Awards, which rewards excellence in brand activation and promotion marketing. Gone Rogue impressed Chief Marketer by building awareness, creating brand equity, and driving trial through sampling at Spartan races.

Because Gone Rogue is a one-of-a-kind snack, we looked for creative ways to build a loyal protein-focused audience who were athletic, adventurous and passionate about fitness and sports- for example, someone ready for more than protein bars and beef jerky to fuel their day. And where else to look beside the Spartan Race Series? The events include a national tour of military-style obstacle races focused on resilience and grit- core motivators and values the Gone Rogue brand, and its people, share. 

Across the Spartan series, Gone Rogue strategically combined messaging and experiences to educate and build loyalty among racers for the no prep, high protein snack. The interest in Gone Rogue grew outside of the Spartan community and to everyday consumers. Stories from the Spartan World Championship broadcasted on ESPN, social media exposure, podcasts, pre- and post-race emails, and Spartan Pro influencers help spread the word. To keep Gone Rogue top of mind for Spartans, a custom 14-foot climbing wall was created that made participants climb the Gone Rogue logo. Each race included a Gone Rogue “Recon Lounge” station for participants to enjoy before the races and a recovery lounge for after.

Gone Rogue also tapped its celebrity endorsers who embody the “Spartan” mentality including professional baseball player Hunter Pence and all-pro quarterback Mitch Trubisky to show that you don’t have to be a Spartan to Never Snack Down at their local events. 

This brought in impressive results: 

• 85 million on-site and Spartan media impressions
• One-on-one engagement with nearly 200,000 Spartan athletes at the activations
• A combined 1.27 billion earned media impressions with Hunter Pence and Mitch Trubisky
• Generated thousands of email addresses for future communication
• Distribution of 685,000 samples

“We’re excited to win the PRO Awards Gold for Best Product Launch, but our work doesn’t stop here. We can’t wait to continue to partner with Spartan Races again to help their racers simplify their prep and encourage protein enthusiasts across the U.S. to include Gone Rogue in their active lifestyle,” says Candace Cage, brand manager for Gone Rogue Snacks. “As consumers continue to look to enjoy more no prep, healthy snacks, we’re continuing to explore the future of high protein snacks to ensure shoppers everywhere can Never Snack Down."

For 29 years the PRO Awards have been the world’s leading recognition program for excellence in brand activation and promotion marketing. From buzz campaigns and digital marketing to influencer programs and experiential activations, and beyond. These awards are a ‘look book’ into the best campaigns of the year—awarded by a panel of leading brand-side marketers. Over 1,000 entries were submitted from around the globe. And the Gone Rogue campaign was named the best of the best.

As health continues to be more important than ever to consumers, Gone Rogue is helping people across the U.S. stay motivated to eat right as they exercise and push towards their goals. That is why each bag of Gone Rogue High Protein Chicken Chips is made from lean cuts of smoked chicken that are baked, never fried. Even better, each bag delivers 17+ grams of protein and less than 2 grams of carbs per package. Protein snack lovers can experience the chicken chips in six flavors, including: BBQ, Bacon, Buffalo and Teriyaki, and coming soon, Ranch and Taco. 

For more information, visit https://goneroguesnacks.com

Source: Gone Rogue Snacks/Land O’Frost