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TNCW Gone Commercial

In 1961, the Leo Burnett Agency in Chicago developed the Charlie the Tuna campaign that made tuna the food of the masses and helped to bring tuna noodle casserole to every home in America. I once took a typing test for a a job at Leo Burnett, hoping to get a lackey job that would pay for a year's worth of college. I failed the test because I couldn't figure out how to type up a table on the stupid typewriter (pre-computer days), and I ended up working for a title agency in the basement of city hall.

Anyway, the campaign for canned tuna took off, and Charlie the Tuna became as much a part of my childhood psyche as Andy Griffith, Get Smart, and The Dick Van Dyke Show. The poor tuna was forever coming up with ways to attract Star-Kist so he could become the next big fish, as if he didn't realize he'd be gutted and filleted if he were caught. He wanted to prove how much taste he had as an artist or a connoisseur of something or other. It was always some other sea creature that would save his life by saying, "But Charlie, Star-Kist doesn't want tunas with good taste. Star-Kist wants tunas that tastes good."

Sometimes when I see a really stupid ad campaign or a product that is destined to fail, I wonder about the marketing team that sat around the conference table and all thought up the losing idea. When it comes to Charlie the Tuna, I wonder about the team that sat around in 1961 and came up with a sarcastic fish that wanted to be caught and was willing to make a fool of himself to do it. Whoever they were, they were brilliant.

Comments

dive said…
Wow, Robyn. He's new to me. It's a great advertising tag line. I'll watch the video when I get home.

We DID have Get Smart over here in the sixties. Now I'm going to have to spend my lunch hour Googling it and wallowing in nostalgia.
Sigh …
7:30 AM
Neponset River Bridge Dig said…
Robyn -remember this jingle

"what's the best tuna? Chicken of the sea"

Thanks for bringing ole Charlie back, it seems there are not many tuna commercials on tv anymore.
9:50 AM
Gina said…
I totally remember the ad campaign, how could I not? My dad would bring home all sorts of crap with Charlie on it.
12:25 PM
Anonymous said…
He's new to me too but I watched the video and thought he was rather cute. We used to eat quite a lot of tuna which seems to be an all-time child favourite and my cats certainly like it!
I also love the John West commercials for salmon.
1:43 PM
dive said…
Hey, Robyn. I just watched the video.
Did the woman in the ad steal your "Scout" haircut?
2:30 PM
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