Health Club Ad Campaign Promotes Canned Tuna to Active Adults

LOS ANGELES, March 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In its first-ever national out-of-home campaign, the Tuna Council (http://tunathewonderfish.com/), a division of the National Fisheries Institute, has turned to the Health Club Media Network (HCMN) (www.hcmn.com), part of Outcast Media, to promote "TunatheWonderfish."

The one-month comprehensive campaign, beginning March 2, is being funded in large part by the three major U.S. tuna brands - Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea and StarKist. It targets health conscious adults while they are at the gym and will run in nearly 1,000 of HCMN's clubs in 20 major markets including the top 12 DMAs. The campaign consists of multiple elements including static panels placed in high traffic common areas, as well as in women's locker rooms; branded 15-second messages on digital screens in select clubs; recipe brochure distribution; and branded insulated nylon lunch bags distributed in select clubs.

"Our research showed that Americans believe they were eating as much tuna as they always did," said Mary Anne Hansan, vice president of the National Fisheries Institute.  "Unfortunately, consumption and sales data did not back that up.  Our goal for this campaign is to make canned and pouch tuna top of mind among active consumers who want a healthy meal that can be prepared in delicious and health conscious ways."

The agencies involved in the media buy include out-of-home media agency Kinetic Worldwide and media buying firm Maxus Global.  Grey Advertising was responsible for the creative which features messages about the heart, weight management and healthy living benefits of tuna along with mouth-watering pictures and new ideas for how to prepare tuna on the panel ads.  The brochure provides additional detail with recipes for avocado tuna sandwiches, tuna and white bean salad and tuna alla puttanesca, among others.

"Research indicates that 61 percent of HCMN gym-goers shop after their workout and before they return to work or home," said Dave Rowley, president of HCMN. "This statistic aligns with the consumer audience the Tuna Council is targeting which includes active adults who aren't afraid to tackle new recipes in the kitchen."  

In conjunction with the place-based elements of the campaign, the Tuna Council has been running ads on broadcast and cable television as well as in consumer magazines.

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About Outcast Holdings, Inc.

Outcast Media Holdings, Inc. is a digital media company reaching active, on-the-go consumers. The company consists of two channels: PumpTop TV and Health Club Media Network. Advertisers reach a Nielsen audited combined audience of more than 68 million active consumers each month at health clubs and gas stations in 130 DMAs. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, with offices in New York City and Chicago. For more information, please visit www.Outcast.net.

This release is available in the Feintuch Communications media room at www.feintuchcommunications.com/hcmn.

SOURCE Health Club Media Network (HCMN)