The UK hot snack food market is extremely competitive. Historically, our brand focus for Rustlers was to target young males with a convenience and speed message (from 0 to tasty in 70 secs). Trouble is, the brand was perceived as being that little bit too ‘laddish’.

We needed to shift strategic direction from pure convenience to hunger satisfaction, with a gender-neutral stance. Creating a campaign to take on the nation’s rumbling stomachs, left ‘unsatisfied by fast food’. With Rustlers’ 100% quality beef, we had all the ingredients we needed to increase brand awareness and sales amongst a wider audience.

Next, we needed something out of the ordinary, that embodies the primeval urge we feel when we’re hungry. Step forward, Hunger Monkey, who guides ‘Simon’ away from the snacks that won’t help his hunger – to the truly satisfying Rustlers burger.

Simon and his Hunger Monkey hit our TV screens, along with exclusive additional YouTube content, tailored to link to the Winter Olympics and Valentine’s Day. It was supported by a targeted Twitter campaign and Facebook competition to amplify our message.

The campaign reached over 1,000,000 YouTube hits and a 14% increase in Facebook traffic – in just 4 weeks. Perhaps the most powerful result is that Rustlers overtook Super Noodles for the first time.