ADVERTISING

Texas Pete

The Tale of Texas Pete: Let Flavor Run Wild

Agency: McKinney

Description

Texas Pete, created in 1929 by the Garner family, is a spicy red pepper sauce named to embody American spirit and Texas's reputation for bold flavors, with its roots in Winston-Salem, NC. Still family-owned, Garner Foods partnered with McKinney in 2024 to expand the brand nationally, leveraging their shared Southeastern heritage and a passionate team close to home. This is the first national brand campaign since their partnership began.

The “Hot Sauce Old Guard” — brands like Frank’s RedHot, Cholula, Tapatio, Tabasco, and of course Texas Pete — face a growing category and an increasingly crowded marketplace with a long-term sales projection anywhere between $13 billion and $17 billion by 2029 (Mintel). Recognizing that challenger brands have a better chance at breaking aisle blindness once they hit the shelf, McKinney embarked on a mission to aid storied brand Texas Pete in recapturing the eyes of consumers beyond the Southeast.

The campaign reintroduces this nearly 100-year-old beloved brand to flavor lovers across America by pairing a personified version of their mascot with a character theme song, “The Ballad of Texas Pete,” The spot highlights the brand’s deep roots in Southern culture and its overlooked yet iconic cowboy mascot, bringing to life the taste of adventure that every splash of Texas Pete adds to a meal. The boot-stompin' ballad is catchy and quick, with the sign off “whatever your dinner needs, Texas Pete.”

The video-led campaign, launched today, will run across CTV, Online Video and social and will appear in retail search, in-store aisle signage and bespoke merchandising activations throughout the year. Retailer Data will fuel the campaign's targeting approach, connecting the Texas Pete story from awareness to purchase, and enabling the attribution of unit sales to dollars spent.

This professional campaign titled 'The Tale of Texas Pete: Let Flavor Run Wild' was published in United States in January, 2025. It was created for the brand: Texas Pete, by ad agency: McKinney. This Integrated medium campaign is related to the Food industry and contains 4 media assets. It was submitted 26 days ago.

Credits

Garner Foods:
Director of Marketing: Katie Chaffin
Marketing Coordinator: Lauren Paschal

Creative Agency:McKinney
Group Client Director: Ryan Gardiner
Account Director: Gillian McBrayer
Account Supervisor: Marc Wilson

Co-Chief Creative Officer: Omid Amidi
Co-Chief Creative Officer: Lyle Yetman
Executive Creative Director: Will Dean
Associate Creative Director: Jamie Steentofte
Associate Creative Director: Knowlton Bourne

Project Manager: Jamie DelGrosso

Group Strategy Director: Kerry O’Connor
Strategist: Chandler Condrone
Senior Social Strategist: Krista Journey
Social Strategist: Hanna Heaney

Group Media Director: Brandon Clark
Group Media Director: Michelle Wilson
Senior Media Planner: Sophia Leal
Media Planner: Catherine Johnson
Media Planner: Blake Collins
Media Director, Paid Social, Search & SEO: Barry Salus

Executive Director, Production: Kara O’Halloran
Producer: Savanna Stephens
Producer: Natty Cabral
Sr. Business Affairs Manager: Nicollete Kolb
Content Creator: Pyro Little

Director (MAMA): Mark Potoka
Director (MAMA): Matt Spicer
Executive Producer: Salim El Arja
Head of Production: Cat Craven-Griffiths
Production Supervisor: Sarah Craig
Line Producer: Ian Fingland

MD/EP: Christian Tyler
Executive Producer: Alex Dall’Orso
Director of Photography: Adam Marsden
PD: Electa Porado
Stylist: Keith Wager
Hair & Makeup Artist: Christine Kohut

Editor: Lane Maloney
Assistant Editor: Madison Hoffmann
Executive Producer: Patrick Mack
VFX Artist: Damian Riddell
Flame Artist: Alan Simonelli
Color and Conform: Will Renton

Executive Producer / Head of Sync: Kamela Anderson
Creative Director: Mike Jurasits
Composer: John Chris Barnes
Post Producer: Rob Suchecki
Mixer: Sloan Alexander

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