The humble (and often ignored) potato

The setting: Potatoes are the OG side meal….you hear it all the time; “a meat and potatoes person.” But over the years Potatoes have lost their place in the spotlight as the go-to side. Even though they’re a “vegetable” (technically a root), they’re not really known as “healthy” so sides like Cauliflower and Kale have taken over as the sides of the moment. How can potatoes make their comeback?

The truth:

  • Potatoes aren’t “empty carbs” they actually top the satiety index (a measure of how full people feel after eating specific foods) as the number-one filling food. In fact, per the index, it would take seven croissants to fill up your tummy as much as a single potato.

  • In 100g of steamed potatoes, you’ll find just 100 calories, no fat, no sodium, no cholesterol, and no gluten. Instead, you’ll get nearly half your daily dose of Vitamin C, more potassium than a banana, and plenty of Vitamin B6, fiber, magnesium, and antioxidants.

  • A typical-sized potato contains about 140 calories, which is much less than the energy content in the same amount of boiled pasta (286 calories) or boiled rice (248 calories).

The target: #foodtok influenced Gen Z and young millennials who

are just starting to cook for themselves, their friends and their families.  

The insight: Potatoes taste like a cheat meal,

but are healthy enough that they are not a cheat meal.

Creative Concept: Cheat on your carbs!

Let the potato take center stage as the F*ckboi potato and convince our audience to #cheatonyourcrabs. Potatoes are so healthy compared to other crabs that once our target has reconnected with the potato as the side dish they’ll feel like they are cheating on their carbs (bread, pasta, etc.)….and getting away with it.

Instagram: The F*ckboi Potato persona comes to life at this stage. The Potato posts funny content and interacts with the audience via DMs, the tone is flirty and funny!

Phase 1

Phase 2

Twitter: The F*ckboi Potato is in action on Twitter! He is once again, flirting with our audience and making a case for himself! Additionally, he is collaborating with Airbnb and rewarding the Twitter user who flirts back with him and has the strongest pick-up line with a two-night stay at the “Big Idaho Potato” hotel. The users must also share a video of a potato dish made by them in order to win the contest.

Phase 3

F*ckboi Potato chatbot on Instacart: This is exactly how it sounds, the chatbot is a regular chatbot just with some fun flirty texts on the side. The F*ckboi Potato directs you to the best potato produce in the grocery store of your choice on Instacart and urges you to cheat on those other carbs *wink wink*.

Phase 4

Grocery store x Potato Parcel collaboration

What I did: Strategy + Copywriting