These days, people are eating less steak. Which means people are eating less A.1. Steak Sauce. If A.1. Steak Sauce wanted to combat dwindling sales numbers, they needed to show people that it wasn't just good on steak, it was good on all foods.

The objective of the campaign was to encourage people to think of A.1. as a sauce for all foods and prompt current buyers to increase consumption. TV, radio, digital, social and print were all utilized to get the message out, and each media placement played an important role in reaching our target. To kick off the campaign, A.1. released “New Friend Requests” video, a web film told entirely through the Facebook interface. It used Facebook actions to tell the emotional story of A.1.’s split with steak and debut A.1.’s new “steak-free” label. TV, radio and digital banners followed, showing once and for all that A.1. was no longer steak sauce, but a sauce for all foods.

The campaign resulted in a major increase in consumption and sales, the first sales jump in over 5 years. The campaign also delivered on a behavioral shift as consumers began sharing their unconventional ways of using A.1 in social and digital spaces.

A.1. launched their new ‘steak-free’ identity with “New Friend Request,” a web film. The narrative of the film took place entirely on Facebook, using Facebook actions to tell the emotional story of A.1.’s split from steak. The volatile relationship between the foods mirrored the human relationships that the target was conducting on the social network. The film premiered via a Facebook post, and spread through promoted posts and organic sharing.

A.1. saw its first jump in sales in over 5 years, with a +2% increase in consumption and a +.8% dollar sales increase during the campaign period. (SOURCE: Nielsen AOD, 5/24/14 - 8/30/14).

“New Friend Requests” struck an emotional cord in people that made the video a viral sensation, with over 1.3MM views and 21MM impressions. On Facebook, the video received over 3,000 likes, and nearly 800 shares. The comments flooded in, echoing sentiments such as “…the only ad I didn’t skip and had to watch again”, and one of our favorites, “…a better love story than Twilight”.